The Teacher and the Coach
by NALEYAAF23
Summary: When Haley James starts her new teaching job at THHS, she is well-liked by everybody including her new neighbor and coworker Nathan Scott. However, things starts to change once she discovers a few secrets that she wasn't supposed to find out about. As she fights for her job, there are just a few people who are on her side. Will Nathan risk his job as well? Or will he lose Haley?
1. Chapter One

**A/N**: This was my very first OTH story ever written and knew it should be better than what it was. Hope you all enjoy the new and improved version. Please read and review.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own OTH

* * *

**Chapter One**

Nathan Scott opened his eyes and didn't even look at the time. He knew that it was time for his run. He quickly climbed out of his bed and into his jogging clothes and sneakers before grabbed his mp3 player. He put on one of his favorite songs and headed out the door. He hummed along to the song as he ran down the sidewalk.

After his twenty minute run, he arrived home and headed straight to the shower. After a quick shower, he dried himself and then changed into his work clothes. He looked at the time and knew that he had to get going. Yet, he didn't want to leave without telling Lucas. He hated to wake his brother after he had spent all weekend hanging out with his girlfriend, but he had to do it.

He gently knocked on his brother's bedroom door. "Lucas, I'm heading to school now," he called and waited for an answer. When he didn't get one, he knew that it meant trouble. He knocked on the door one last time before he slowly opened it and walked into the bedroom. He immediately saw the made bed and groaned in frustration. "He is so grounded," he muttered before he left the room.

He went down the stairs and through the house and out the front door. He knew that he couldn't do anything about Lucas until he saw him in school. He suddenly paused as he watched a moving truck pull up to the house next door. He had forgotten that someone had bought that house. He was curious to find out who it was. So he walked through his yard and into the next door neighbor's yard before he reached the car that had parked in the driveway.

He gave a welcoming smile to the two women who were climbing out of the vehicle. "I'm Nathan Scott, your next door neighbor and I'd like to be the first to welcome you both to Tree Hill."

The two women returned the smile. The woman who had been in the passenger seat spoke up. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Haley James, the one who is moving in." She then gestured over to the driver. "My sister Quinn is just helping me," she explained as she opened the back passenger seat and a golden retriever jumped out. She immediately started barking at the stranger. "And this is Jewel," Haley told him as she tried to calm the dog down.

Nathan approached Jewel cautiously and gently started stroking her. "Like the singer Jewel?" he asked as the dog began to calm down and started wagging her tail. "Or is there a different reason?"

"I take it that you're good with dogs," Haley guessed as she watched them fondly. "And she is named 'Jewel' because she was so adorable as a puppy."

Nathan nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I raised a few dogs during my childhood. I thought about having another one in the family, but time just slipped away from me," he told her. He then changed the subject. "So do you need help unpacking the moving truck?"

Haley smiled at him gratefully. "That's sweet, but I think that the movers can handle it," she said as her sister nudged her. "But you can help us unpack our trunk," she said. Nathan nodded.

"So what brings you to Tree Hill?" Nathan asked Haley as they walked into the foyer. He then put the box carefully down on the ground.

"I wanted to get away from city life for awhile," Haley told him. "I grew up in Wilmington, but I didn't want to live there my whole life. So I thought a small town like Tree Hill would be perfect for me."

"Well, you're in luck. Nothing ever happens here except the typical car accidents," Nathan told her. Haley and Quinn laughed. He wished that he could find out more about his new neighbor, but he had to get to work. "Excuse me, but I must get to work."

Haley nodded understandingly. "It was nice to meet you, Nathan," she said before they exchanged good-byes. As soon as he left, Quinn gave her sister a wide smile. Haley knew exactly what she was thinking. "No, don't even think about it."

"What am I thinking about?" Quinn asked her innocently.

Her sister gave her a look. "You are thinking about setting me up with him," she told her. "And it's not going to happen. He's unavailable. He was wearing his wedding ring."

Quinn was disappointed. "That's too bad. I think you two would have made a cute couple."

"Even if he was available, I've just moved into town. I would like to get to know him before I went out with him," Haley said. Quinn knew that she had a point. "Well, I should check on those movers." Quinn knew that the subject was closed and followed her sister back outside.

* * *

Nathan soon arrived at the school and parked in his usual place next to Jake's car. He then climbed out and walked into the school. He exchanged greetings with students as he walked to his destination. He reached the teachers' lounge and greeted Jake as he noticed a very pregnant Peyton. He frowned. "I thought you were starting on your maternity leave today," he said confused.

"That's what I wanted," Jake replied as he gave a stern look to his wife. "But my wife is stubborn."

"I want a few more days with my students," Peyton protested. "Not to mention that they haven't been able to find a substitute for my classes yet. Victoria would do it, but someone would then have to be principal, not to mention her daughter Brooke is in my classes. So that would show favoritism."

Nathan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that would be just as bad if I was Lucas's teacher. It can't be done."

"Speaking of Lucas, how is guardianship going?" Jake asked him. Nathan didn't answer. Jake made a face. "What did he do this time?"

"Lucas didn't come home _again _last night," Nathan replied. He then let out a sigh. "It's funny. I tell him that he can't have Lindsey stay the night. So he sleeps over at her house instead. I know he's seventeen, but he's still my responsibility. And he needs to respect my rules."

"No offense, but it makes me grateful that Jake and I have a long while before our child is a teenager," Peyton said as she placed her hand on her huge belly.

Jake tried to cheer his friend up. "At least you only have to watch over him for two more years. Then he is off to college. And it's probably going to be Duke."

"The problem is that Lucas doesn't want to go to college. He wants to marry Lindsey after they graduate high school," Nathan replied. "He thinks that she is 'the one', but I told him that he should wait. He snaps back by saying Rachel isn't the right one for me. Of course, he has never really liked Rachel in the first place. So I'm not surprised that he's saying that."

Just then, Victoria walked into the teachers' lounge and gave them a smile. "Good morning all. How is everybody today?" she asked them as she walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. Everyone told her their responses before she spoke again. "By the way, Brooke isn't feeling well. So she isn't going to be in school today. I'll be picking up her homework from her classes later."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement as Nathan left the lounge. He wanted to see if he could find Lucas before classes began. Otherwise, he knew that Lucas would avoid him until basketball practice. Despite encouragement from Lindsey, he knew that Lucas wouldn't skip basketball practice. The only way that he would was if something happened to him.

However, he wasn't able to find Lucas before classes began. He was disappointed and frustrated, but he knew that he would give him the lecture during basketball practice. He decided to just head to his office and look over the plays for the next basketball game.

Hours later, school ended and basketball practice was about to start. Nathan walked into the gym and waited for his players to come out from the locker room. He wasn't surprised to see that Lucas wasn't there right away. He knew that he was having a hard time prying himself away from Lindsey.

Nathan knew better than to wait for his brother. He instructed his players to split up into two teams. Just as he was done, Lucas came running in the gym. Before he could give an excuse, Nathan spoke up first. "Lucas, can I speak to you for a few moments?" Lucas didn't say anything as he followed his older brother into his office. Nathan then shut the door before he sat at his desk. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Lucas, how many times do I have to tell you to come home by curfew?"

Lucas just gave him a shrug. "What's the big deal? You knew where I was," he said.

Nathan gave him a look. "You need to respect me and my rules. After all, you're living under _my_ roof. I can kick you out at any time, but I don't want to do that. After all, you're still my brother."

"If you want to get technical, it's _half-brother_," Lucas corrected him.

Nathan glared at him. He was tired of his brother's attitude. "Ok, you're not only grounded for that comment, but you have just earned yourself ten laps around the gym." Lucas was about to protest when his brother continued. "Do you want to make it twenty?" he warned him. Lucas kept his mouth shut as he walked out of the office. Nathan sighed as he looked at the picture of his mother and stepfather on his desk. "Mom, I really am trying, but I can't seem to get through to him. What else can I do?"

After a long day, Nathan arrived home, exhausted. Lucas had barely spoken to him during practice. He couldn't blame him for being angry with him. He wasn't surprised when Lucas had left without saying good-bye to him. He also wasn't surprised to see that Lindsey was in the front seat of Lucas's car. Nathan hoped that he wouldn't stay at Lindsey's house too long.

As Nathan walked into the kitchen, he was relieved to see that Rachel had kept his dinner warm. Yet, she was nowhere in sight. He was surprised that she wasn't waiting for him. But he was too tired to think about where she could be. He ate his dinner alone. Just as he was done eating, he heard the back door unlocking. He gave his wife a smile as she walked into the room.

"I thought we should have some dessert," Rachel said as she showed him the ice cream. "I got your favorite, Rocky Road."

Nathan smiled at her. "You're the best," he replied as he got some bowls out from the cupboard. "Did you hear that a new neighbor moved in next door?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I saw her this afternoon during my lunch hour. I can't believe that she has a dog. We won't get any sleep now."

"That's not true," Nathan replied. "Just because she has a dog doesn't mean that the dog will bark at all hours of the night."

Rachel wasn't convinced. "I hope not or there will be trouble," she told him.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N**: Thank you all for the reviews, story alerts and favorites. There will be Brucas eventually. And thanks to my beta Leeese.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own OTH

* * *

**Chapter Two**

The next morning, Nathan was getting ready for his morning jog when he looked out of the window and saw Haley walking Jewel down the sidewalk. He knew that it was the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. He headed outside and hurried to catch up with her. She turned around and gave him a smile. Nathan smiled in return as they exchanged greetings. "Do you mind if I walk with you?"

Haley shook her head. "No, I'd love some company," she replied. They then started walking side by side with Jewel leading the way. Haley started the conversation as they walked down the block. "So have you lived in Tree Hill long?" she asked him.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, I have lived here my whole life. I would move away if it wasn't for my brother." Haley looked at him confused. "You see, my parents divorced when I was really young. My mother remarried within a couple of years and they had my half-brother Lucas." There was a short pause before he continued his story. "A few years ago, my mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident. And I became Lucas's guardian." He then let out a sigh. "But I don't think I've been doing a good job. Lucas has been causing trouble ever since he moved in with me and Rachel, my wife."

Haley nodded understandingly. "I'm so sorry."

Nathan nodded sadly. "Yeah, and my mom used to own and manage her own café. But I had to close it down after her death. I didn't have the heart to keep it running. Lucas was so pissed off at me for doing it. I think that's part of the reason why he rebels against me. And because I'm his guardian and not his parents."

"I don't mean to intrude, but aren't teenagers supposed to cause trouble? I know I did in my day."

Nathan raised his eyebrows at her in surprise. "You were a troublemaker? You don't look like you would have caused trouble. What did you do? Sneak out of the house to see your boyfriend?" he teased her.

Haley laughed. "No, that was my older sister Taylor. She was the rebellious one of the family. She still is." She then quickly changed the subject back to her. "Anyway, I have cheated on tests a couple of times. I also shoplifted from a store once. And there was a time or two where I got in trouble for fighting."

"Did you do anything big?" Nathan asked her curiously. "Like steal a car?"

Haley shook her head. "I wasn't that brave. Were you? Did you do anything dangerous while you were in high school?"

Nathan turned red. "I once had a hit and run accident. I wasn't paying attention to where I was looking and hit a car. I panicked and did the only thing I could think of. I drove off without talking to the driver." Haley gaped at him in shock. "Hey, you would too if the person you hit was someone who hated you."

"I would never," Haley exclaimed. "It wouldn't be right." She then looked at him curiously. "So did you ever get caught?"

Nathan gave her a smile. "No and I'm planning to keep it that way. So don't go around town telling people what I did." They then approached the corner at the end of the street. Haley was about to turn down the street when he stopped her. "Why don't we go across the street?" he asked her.

Haley frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

Nathan gestured to the house that was coming up. Haley looked in the direction of the house. She saw that it was run down and looked creepy. She also noticed how quiet that part of the street was. "That house belongs to Whitey Durham, an elderly gentleman. He used to be kind and gentle. But ever since his wife died, he hasn't been the same. I always avoid him when I can." Haley nodded understandingly. She then pulled Jewel towards the street and towards the other side of the creepy house. "So how many sisters do you have?" Nathan asked.

"I have three sisters and three brothers," Haley replied as they reached the sidewalk. "I'm the youngest."

Nathan was surprised. "Wow, it must be fun during holidays." He then realized his mistake and said, "No wonder you wanted to move here."

"Don't get me wrong. I love them very dearly, but it's too much for me sometimes," Haley said. "When I get married, I will have two children and that's it. I don't know how my parents handled seven children especially Taylor."

"Does your boyfriend agree with wanting two children?" Nathan asked her. "Or doesn't he care?"

"I don't have a boyfriend right now," Haley replied. "Actually, I'm glad that I don't. All they seem to do is think of themselves. They never seem to think about their girlfriend. At least, that's how my last boyfriend was."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nathan said. "I would never be selfish and forget my wife like that."

"How long have you and your wife been married?" Haley asked curiously.

"It's been a couple of years," Nathan replied. "I'm hoping that we will start a family soon. I would love to have kids."

"How many kids do you want?" Haley asked him.

Nathan shrugged. He had never really thought about it. "I don't care as long as they are happy and healthy." He then changed the subject. "So how is the unpacking going?"

Haley sighed. "It's not. I had a teaching job all lined up at the elementary school, but it fell through at the last minute. So I spent all day yesterday trying to find another job so I could stay here. It wasn't easy since nothing has been hooked up yet."

Nathan nodded understandingly. "Yeah, that can be a pain." He then had an idea. "Would you mind being a substitute teacher?"

Haley gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I coach the basketball team at the high school and my coworker will be on maternity leave soon. And she needs a substitute teacher to take over her English classes. Would you be willing to do it if I ask Victoria and Peyton?"

Haley bit her lip. "It's tempting, but I'm not sure if I could handle high school students. In fact, I've never imagined that I would teach high school students."

Nathan nodded understandingly. "It was just a suggestion. It would help me out too. You could keep an eye on Lucas for me. Since I only coach, I don't see him much during school hours."

"So you want me to take the job so it would benefit you?" Haley asked him as she raised her eyebrows. "Isn't that a little _selfish_?"

Nathan immediately got the point. He nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. You should take the job because you want to."

Haley let out a sigh before she spoke. "Even though it is only temporary, it is a job. So I think I will take it if your boss will let me."

"Great. I'll drive you over there after breakfast and you can talk with Victoria and Peyton," Nathan said. "Speaking of breakfast, would you like to join me and Lucas?" he asked her.

"I will if you don't mind Jewel joining us," Haley replied.

Nathan gave her a smile. "Of course not."

As soon as they finished their walk, Haley followed Nathan into his house and into the kitchen, where Lucas was cooking breakfast. Nathan was surprised, but pleased that Lucas had woken up on his own. He was even happier to see that he was making breakfast. "Lucas, this is Haley James, our new neighbor," Nathan said, making introductions. "And this is her dog, Jewel. Haley, this is Lucas, my brother. My wife is already at work. So you'll have to meet her another time."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. James," Lucas said as they shook hands. "Cool dog. Can I pet her?" he asked.

"Be gentle. She's very wary of strangers," Haley told him. It was only a few moments before Jewel was wagging her tail at Lucas. Haley shook her head in amazement. "I guess she really likes the Scott men."

"What would you like to eat?" Nathan asked her.

"I'm making pancakes for breakfast," Lucas told her. "Would you like some?"

Haley gave him a smile. "Yes, I would. Thank you, Lucas," she replied.

Nathan started to get suspicious of his brother's actions. He had a feeling that he wanted something from him. He had tried that trick many times before with his parents. They would eventually figure it out and negotiate with him to get what he wanted. However, he wasn't going to say anything in front of Haley. He would wait until they were alone.

Lucas then started asking Haley questions about herself. It was the same questions that Nathan had asked her earlier during their walk. Lucas was just as surprised as his brother when he found out that Haley had six siblings. He was even more surprised when he heard that she was going to get a job at the high school.

"You're brave to take on a job at the school. My friends can be pretty loud," Lucas told her as his brother gave him a warning look. "But I suppose I can tell them to take it easy on you for awhile."

Haley laughed. "I appreciate that, Lucas. But I have to get the job first."

"I'm sure Mrs. Davis won't turn you down," Lucas assured her.

Haley smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the support, Lucas. I'll need all the help that I can get."

However, Nathan could tell that she still wasn't convinced. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure your interview will go great."


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N**: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own OTH

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Haley was barely out of the principal's office when Lucas showed up. She jumped as he spoke. "So did you get the job?" he asked her anxiously as she started to calm down. He then grinned as he added, "Because I will take it easy on you if you do."

"Mrs. Davis is willing to give me a shot. I just have to talk to Mrs. Jagielski for approval," Haley replied. Lucas smiled happily. Haley then started to get suspicious. "Why are you so anxious for me to get the job here anyway? I'm not one for favoritism, Lucas."

Lucas didn't say anything at first. "It's not that. I'm hoping that you could do a favor for me since I'm doing one for you," he told her as they walked down the hall.

Haley nodded understandingly. "I see. Does this have anything to do with you being nice to your brother during breakfast?" she asked as she raised her eyebrows. Lucas was surprised. "It was too obvious that you want something."

"Yeah, but I can't have it because I'm grounded. You see, I have two concert tickets to see The Wreckers this weekend and I was going to take my girlfriend Lindsey. But everything changed when Nathan grounded me," Lucas explained.

"So you were hoping that I would talk to Nathan about ungrounding you for that night?" Haley asked him. Lucas nodded. She gave him a stern look as she said, "Lucas, I can't do that. This is between you and your brother. Besides, I think you should ask Rachel. After all, she is your brother's wife."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "She may be his wife, but she certainly isn't a great sister-in-law to me. We don't get along at all. She would never ask him to let me off." He was so busy talking that he didn't realize that he bumped into someone. He quickly apologized to the brunette, but she just brushed him off before walking on.

Haley frowned. "What's with her?" she asked as she watched her walk away towards the library.

"That's Brooke Davis, the principal's daughter," Lucas told her. "She is quiet and likes to keep to herself."

Haley was surprised. "Does she have any friends?" she asked him.

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really talk to her," he said as he felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned around and gave his girlfriend a wide smile. "Hey Lindsey," he said as he embraced her in a tight hug. Lucas then did the introductions. "Ms. James, this is my wonderful girlfriend, Lindsey. Lindsey, this is Ms. James, our new substitute teacher."

Lindsey turned red. "Please tell me that my boyfriend hasn't been bragging about me again."

"Why not?" Lucas asked her seriously. "You're the best girlfriend that I ever had."

Lindsey gave him a look. "Lucas, I'm the only one you've ever had."

Haley just shook her head in amusement. "I'm going to leave you two lovebirds alone and go and find Mrs. Jagielski." She didn't let Lucas ask her anymore about his request. She wanted to help him out, but it wasn't right to butt in his personal life.

She walked through the hall until she reached the right classroom. She knocked on the open door and the pregnant blonde woman looked up from her work. "May I help you?" she asked her.

Haley gave her a wide smile. "Hi, I'm Haley James," she replied. "I hear you are looking for a substitute teacher for your classes."

Peyton frowned. "Yes, I am, but I don't need one until next week. Didn't Mrs. Davis tell you?"

"She told me that you're expecting any day now and I should start today so you could get some rest," Haley replied. She paused for a moment before she added, "No offense, but it looks like you need it."

"Why haven't I heard of you before?" Peyton asked her. "You don't seem like one of our usual substitutes."

"I'm new and just moved into town," Haley replied. "Nathan Scott told me that you were in a jam and thought that I could help you out."

Peyton nodded understandingly. "I see. Well, I appreciate you coming in, but I don't need you today," she said. Haley was about to leave when Peyton continued. "However, you can observe if you want."

"That would probably be best. I've never taught high school students before," Haley replied. "I had gotten a job at the elementary school, but it fell through. So I'm stuck here without a job. That's when Mr. Scott suggested your job."

"How do you know Nathan?" Peyton asked her curiously.

"I'm his new neighbor," Haley replied as Peyton suddenly grabbed her stomach and groaned. "Are you ok?" she asked her concerned.

Peyton nodded. "Yeah, it's just these darn Braxton Hicks contractions. That's all. I've been having them on and off for the last couple of hours. I've been having them a lot lately. I wish that they would quit so I can be in real labor."

Haley was about to respond when she suddenly saw water began to pool on the floor underneath Peyton's feet. "I think you just got your wish," she told her as Peyton looked at her shocked. "It looks like your baby is coming a few weeks early."

Soon, Peyton and Jake were on their way to the hospital and Haley had been officially assigned to Peyton's classes. As Peyton was having her contractions, she had managed to tell Haley that her lesson plans were on her desk. She nodded in acknowledgement, but she started to get nervous. She didn't expect to teach the first day that she was there.

She gently pulled Nathan to one side, away from the crowd of students and teachers that had gathered to see their two teachers take off. He looked at her curiously and wondered what she was going to say. "I can't do this," she told him. "I can't take over her classes today."

Nathan gave her a comforting smile. "Sure, you can. You'll do great." Haley still wasn't convinced. "Just follow her lesson plan and you'll be fine. And you'll have Lucas to help you out."

Haley gave him a look. "You do know that he is only helping me to help him in return."

Nathan sighed. "I figured." He then thought for a moment. "I could be in there as well if you want and make sure the students don't give you too much of a hard time."

Haley smiled gratefully. "Thanks, but have you ever taught before?"

Nathan turned red. "No," he admitted. "But I have been on detention duty before."

"Well, that is completely different to teaching," Haley replied. She then let out a sigh. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I should have thought this through before I agreed to do this."

Nathan tried to calm her down. "Whoa, you haven't even had your first class yet. Maybe you should see how your first class goes before quitting."

Haley knew that he had a point. She thought for a moment before speaking. "Ok, I'll teach my first class and then I'll decide."

Nathan gave her a wide smile. "Great. I'll show you the way." He then couldn't help asking, "So what does Lucas want?"

Haley finally managed a smile. "As I told Lucas, you two will have to work it out yourselves. This is none of my business. Besides, I hate being stuck in the middle." She then thought for a moment. "Actually, I hate the color pink, flying and clowns." She shivered at the thought of those creepy clowns.

Nathan frowned. "You don't like the color pink? Then what will happen if you have a daughter?"

"I don't know yet. I'll figure that out when I get married and start a family with my husband," Haley said. "I might have the nursery in yellow or something." She then realized that she was getting ahead of herself. "Anyway, the point is that I'm not going to help you or Lucas with the problem."

"Would you at least tell me the problem?" Nathan asked her.

Haley shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm staying out of it," she replied as they reached the classroom.

"Are you sure that you'll be ok on your own?" Nathan asked her. Haley nodded. "Ok, I'll be around if you need me."

"Thanks, Nathan. I really appreciate that," Haley told him before she walked into her classroom. She walked over to Peyton's desk and started glancing over her lesson plan as some of the students walked into the room and to their desks. She ignored the whispers and whistles as she concentrated on her work. She glanced up a couple of times and noticed that Brooke had walked in. She sat quietly at her desk and just read a book. Haley was curious to get to know her.

Soon, it was time for her to begin in class. Haley looked at her class list and noticed that Lucas and Lindsey were both in that class. However, neither of them had shown up yet. She wasn't surprised and she decided to go ahead and start without them. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Good morning, class. I'm Ms. James, your substitute teacher. As you may or may not know, Mrs. Jagielski went into labor this morning and is at the hospital right now. So I'll be taking over her classes. Now when I call your name, please call out 'here' and a nickname if you would prefer one." She went down the list and found that everyone was there except for Lucas and Lindsey.

Just as she was about to discuss the lesson plan, Lucas and Lindsey quietly slipped into class and to their desks. However, Haley noticed them right away. "Mr. Scott, Ms. Strauss, how nice of the two of you to decide to join us. Perhaps one of you could tell me what your assignment was for last night."

Lucas and Lindsey looked at each other. Lucas then cleared his throat before speaking. "We were just finishing up Robert Frost poetry," he told her as his friends looked at him shocked. "We are supposed to have a quiz on it today before getting into Edgar Allan Poe."

Haley nodded impressed. "Ok then. Lindsey, why don't you pass out the papers and we'll get started?"

After the quiz was over, Haley started the discussion of Edgar Allan Poe. Nobody seemed interested at first to hear about yet another boring poet. However, once she started telling them about his life, then students started to become more interested about the man and his poetry. She then knew that she had got their attention. She hoped that they would enjoy her teaching style once they really would get going with the material.

After the class was over, she called Lucas over to her desk. Lucas walked over along with Lindsey. Haley gave them a smile. "I hope that I wasn't too hard on you two."

Lucas shook his head. "No, I understand. You're just lucky that I was prepared. How did I do on the quiz?"

"I haven't had a chance to grade them yet," Haley told him. "I'll probably do them during my lunch hour." She then changed the subject. "So how did I do for my first class on my first day of teaching?"

Lindsey gave her a smile. "I don't know about Lucas, but I think you did great," she replied.

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and I'm not just saying that because of my favor either."

Lindsey frowned. "What favor?"

"It's nothing," Lucas replied quickly. "We should get to our next class. We'll see you later, Ms. James."

Haley nodded in acknowledgement as Lucas and Lindsey left the room. As the day went on, she didn't have a chance to see Nathan again. However, she did hear from Mrs. Davis that Mrs. Jagielski had had her baby and it was surprisingly a boy. Everyone had guessed that it was going to be a girl. Haley was happy for them and told Mrs. Davis that she would take the job until Mrs. Jagielski would be able to return to school.

At the end of the day, Haley was getting prepared to leave when she heard a knock at the door. She turned around and was happy to see Nathan. "So how did your first day go?" he asked her anxiously.

Haley gave him a wide smile. "It went better than I had expected. So I told Mrs. Davis that I would be happy to take the job until Mrs. Jagielski is able to return from maternity leave," she told him.

Nathan smiled in return. "I was hoping you would say that. I want to invite you to come and have dinner with me and Lucas at my house tonight."

Haley was surprised, but pleased at the invitation. She didn't even have to think before she accepted it. "I'd love to," she replied.


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N**: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own OTH

* * *

**Chapter Four**

That evening, it was just Lucas, Nathan, Haley and Jewel since Rachel was working late again. Haley noticed how relieved Lucas was. She couldn't help but be amused by it. She then started the conversation by asking a question. "So what does Rachel do?"

"Do you know of the club Tric?" Nathan asked her. Haley nodded. "She owns and manages it."

Haley was surprised. "She owns it? Wow, that must keep her pretty busy. Especially with all of the bands that go through there."

"The only reason that she was able to buy it is because our family has money," Lucas replied. Nathan gave him a stern look. "What? It's true. She certainly didn't buy it with hers because she doesn't have any." He knew he was getting his brother upset so he quickly turned back to Haley. "How did you know about Tric? I thought you were new here."

Haley laughed. "I may be new in town, but I'm not new to Tree Hill. I've been here before," she replied. "That's how I knew that I wanted to move here."

"Did you come here for the concerts at Tric?" Lucas asked her curious.

Haley nodded. "Yeah, my sister Quinn and I decided to see how different a concert in a small town was to the big city. Apparently, Tric was just as popular as the concerts in Wilmington."

Nathan smiled proudly. "Yeah, Rachel and I do a pretty good job in finding great bands to play at the club."

Lucas just rolled his eyes. He then changed the subject. "Have you lived anywhere else besides Wilmington?" he asked her.

"Well, I actually lived in California while I was attending Stanford University," Haley replied. Lucas and Nathan were impressed. "Even though I wanted to distance myself from my family, I didn't want to be that far away. But I also didn't want to go back to Wilmington. So that's why I chose Tree Hill. It is far away enough for me to let me live my own life, but it is also close enough for me to visit my parents and family in Wilmington."

"Did you like California?" Lucas asked her anxiously. "Was it nice there?"

Nathan knew what his brother was thinking. "I'm sure it is, but it's nothing compared to North Carolina," he said. "Tree Hill is home."

Lucas turned to him. "Maybe it is to you and Rachel. But I _don't_ want to live here all of my life."

"I understand that, but that doesn't mean you should take off and get married the first chance you get," Nathan told him before they both remembered that they still had a guest. They became quiet before he spoke again. "We'll talk about this later."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments before the conversation started up again. "So what made you choose Stanford?" Lucas asked her.

"It had been my dream to attend Stanford for years," Haley replied. "It was hard to leave my family, but I managed to come home every summer. It was harder during the holidays so I stayed with my boyfriend Julian in Los Angeles." She then corrected herself. "Well, he's my ex-boyfriend now. We broke up a couple of months ago."

Nathan nodded understandingly. "Let me guess, he didn't want to follow you back to North Carolina?" Haley didn't say anything, but Nathan could tell from her expression that he was right. "That long distance relationship never works out," he said. "Trust me."

Haley gave him a look. "Don't you think I don't know that? Julian and I were living in different cities. The only time we saw each other was holidays. What makes you such an expert anyway?"

Nathan immediately apologized for his rudeness. "I'm sorry. That was totally out of line. I only know because I was in a long distance relationship myself."

"Wasn't that with Renee? I didn't like her either," Lucas told his brother.

His brother gave him a look as he replied, "To be fair, I don't like Lindsey."

"Thank you for the lovely dinner," Haley told Nathan and Lucas as she got up from her chair. She really didn't want to get caught in the middle of their argument. "I haven't had a chance to cook my meals yet. And thank you for letting Jewel come over too. I really didn't want to have her stay in the house more when she already has been cooped up in there all day."

Nathan gave her a comforting smile. "It was no problem. You know that we love dogs," he replied. Haley was about to clean off her plate when Nathan stopped her. "You're the guest. Sit down and relax."

"I'll do the dishes," Lucas offered as he got up from his own chair and took Haley's plate from her.

"Do you want dessert or do you want to wait a few minutes?" Nathan asked as he went to the freezer. "I'm afraid that all we have is Rocky Road though."

"It's his favorite flavor," Lucas whispered to her. "Rachel didn't think about me when it came to buying ice cream."

"Rocky Road is fine," Haley told Nathan. "Although, I do prefer Mint Chocolate Chip."

Nathan gave her a smile. "I'll keep that in mind next time," he said as he got the ice cream container out. Jewel suddenly started growling as they heard the garage door open. "It sounds like Rachel is home."

Haley quickly held back Jewel as Rachel came into the kitchen. She was about to greet her husband when she saw their guests. She plastered on a fake smile as she said, "You must be our new next door neighbor. I'm Rachel."

Even though it was obvious that Rachel didn't want her there, Haley knew that she had to be polite. "Yes, I'm Haley," she said before she turned to a growling Jewel. "And this is Jewel." She then tried to shush her, but it didn't work. "I'm very sorry. She doesn't like strangers."

"Then why did you bring her over here if she's uncomfortable with strangers?" Rachel snapped.

"Because I invited both of them over here for dinner," Nathan said, immediately defending Haley. "And she is comfortable with me and Lucas."

Lucas had a feeling that there was an argument coming on. He decided to get out of there right away. "Come on, Ms. James. I'll help take her back over to your house," he offered as he walked over to Haley and Jewel.

However, Nathan stopped him. "That's enough sucking up to me, Lucas. And they don't have to leave."

"Nathan, maybe I should go. I have papers to grade anyway," Haley replied. "Thanks again for the dinner." She then excused herself before leading Jewel out of the room and towards the front door.

Nathan waited until he heard the front door close before turning back to Rachel. He wasn't happy and he glared angrily at his wife. "What the hell was that, Rachel? Could you be anymore rude to her?"

Rachel sighed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting us to have guests tonight. Especially not a dog."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Haley. In fact, I want you to do it right now," Nathan told her. Rachel was about to protest before he went on. "You go and apologize to Haley or we won't be doing _it_ until you do." He knew that that was her weakness.

Sure enough, she groaned at the thought of not having sex with her husband. She knew that he was serious and couldn't be talked out of it. "Alright. I'll go and apologize to our new neighbor."

Nathan watched her leave before he turned to his brother, who was scooping out some ice cream into a bowl. "Ok, what plans did I ruin when I grounded you?" he asked him as he raised his eyebrows.

Lucas wasn't surprised that his brother figured it out. "I want to take Lindsey to see the Wreckers this weekend."

Nathan frowned. "When did you get tickets to that?"

"It was months ago," Lucas replied as he showed him the tickets. "They're really great seats too."

"When did you plan to ask me if you could go?" Nathan asked him.

"I thought that it was obvious since I usually go out with Lindsey on the weekends," Lucas replied.

Nathan sighed. He could see that his brother was close to pleading. He finally spoke. "I'll let you go on one condition. You _don't_ stay over at Lindsey's house. You pick her up, take her to the concert and take her back to her house. That's it."

Lucas gave him a wide smile. "I promise. Thanks, Nate. I owe you one."

Nathan wasn't even listening. Instead, he went outside to make sure that Rachel had apologized to Haley and had done it nicely. There had been times that she hadn't. As he reached Haley's house, he could see that Rachel and Haley was having a nice conversation.

They suddenly turned towards him when they saw him coming. Rachel gave him a smile as he walked over them. "Hey, why didn't you tell me that she's a fan of my club?" she asked him as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Because you didn't give me the chance," Nathan replied.

"At the club, I heard a rumor that Peyton had her baby," Rachel said as she turned back to Haley. "And you were going to substitute her classes."

Nathan wasn't sure what Rachel was getting at. "Well, that isn't a rumor. It's true. Peyton had her baby and it's a boy."

Rachel was surprised. "Really? I thought she was having a girl." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "So I assume the other rumor is true too? You are going to take over her classes?"

Haley nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Well, I wish you luck. Lucas and his classmates can be a handful," Rachel replied before she excused herself. "It was nice meeting you, Haley." She then turned to her husband. "I'll see you at home." She was about to head back to her house when they saw a car pulling up in front of the Scott house.

Nathan smiled to himself as he recognized the car. "Who is that?" Haley asked him curiously, noticing the happy look on his face.

"It's the proud new father," Nathan told her as he gestured her to follow him. She did as he and Rachel walked over to Jake's car. Nathan waited until Jake had climbed out before speaking again. "Hey, there is the new father. How are your wife and son doing?"

Jake smiled proudly. "Both Peyton and Ryan are doing great."

"So you did choose a name for that new baby. I heard that you couldn't come up with a name because you two were expecting a girl," Rachel replied. "So what's his full name?"

Jake laughed. "Yeah, I know. Don't tell Peyton, but I had a feeling that it was going to be a boy. And his full name is Ryan Jacob Jagielski. I picked the first name and Peyton picked his middle name. She thought he deserved to be named after his daddy."

"Well, I agree with her," Nathan replied as he turned to Haley. "Did you two ever get a proper introduction?"

"No, we didn't," Jake replied. He then gave Haley a wide smile. "Hi, I'm Jake Jagielski. I believe that you helped my wife when she first went into labor."

Haley smiled in return. "I'm Haley James."

"Peyton would love it if you could go and visit her in the hospital," Jake told her. "She wants to thank you again for helping her."

"It was no problem," Haley assured him. "I was just at the right place at the right time."

"Still, we want to repay you somehow," Jake said. "If you didn't stop by, Peyton could have waited until the afternoon to go to the hospital. She can be a little stubborn sometimes. I hope that my son doesn't inherit that trait."

"You never know," Nathan said as he turned to the girls. "Why don't we celebrate with some ice cream? I'm sure Lucas didn't eat it all."

Jake laughed. "That sounds perfect."

Nathan turned to Haley. "Are you still willing to join us for dessert?"

Haley thought for a moment before answering. "I suppose a little bit of ice cream wouldn't hurt."

"By the way, will Ryan have a playmate anytime soon?" Jake asked Nathan as they headed towards the house. Rachel and Haley were right behind them.

Nathan gave him a smile. "I am sure he will," he replied as he turned to his wife. "Right, Rachel?"

Rachel returned the smile. "Of course," she told him. However, Haley could see that she wasn't happy at the thought of starting a family. She decided to keep her mouth shut and stay out of it. It wasn't any of her business.


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N**: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And as always, thanks to Leeese!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own OTH

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**Chapter Five**

The next afternoon, Haley drove to the hospital to see Peyton and the new baby. Peyton couldn't stop thanking her enough or that she and Jake wanted to repay her somehow. Haley told her that letting her substitute for her classes was enough. She really didn't need anything else.

As days passed, Haley began to love her job more and more. She loved helping her students learn about English literature. Lucas and his classmates started to enjoy Haley's teaching methods, not to mention Haley herself.

Soon, it was a few days before the Thanksgiving weekend. The students were getting anxious to be off for the four days. Haley couldn't imagine what it was going to be like right before Christmas break. She didn't even want to think about it.

"So what are you going to do for Thanksgiving?" Nathan asked Haley as they ate their lunch in the teacher's lounge. "Are you going to go back to Wilmington to visit your family?"

"Well, my parents have decided to visit my sister Vivian and her family down in Charleston this year. And the only sibling I'm close to, Quinn, is planning to visit her boyfriend David in New York," Haley replied.

"So you're going to spend Thanksgiving alone?" Nathan asked with a slight frown.

"Well, Jake and Peyton invited me to their house, but I don't want to impose on them since they are new parents and all," Haley replied. "It's ok. I get tired of the big family crowd anyway."

"What about if you join the Scott family for Thanksgiving dinner?" Nathan suggested. He hated the thought of spending Thanksgiving alone. Haley turned to him surprised. "We're going to have my dad and Rachel's mom over. And I know that Lucas will invite Lindsey, but you're more than welcome to come over too."

Haley bit her lip. "I would, but I don't think it's a good idea with Rachel and Jewel not getting along. And what about your dad and her mom?"

"They just need to get to know each other," Nathan said. Haley wasn't convinced. "You said so yourself. Jewel's not used to strangers." Haley knew that he had a point. "Let me talk to Rachel. I'm sure that I can convince her to calm down about Jewel. I really don't want you to spend Thanksgiving alone."

Haley let out a sigh before answering. "Alright, but don't say that I didn't warn you." Nathan just smiled at her as she left the teacher's lounge, lost in thought. Now that she had accepted the invitation, she was a little nervous about meeting Nathan's dad and Rachel's mother. Yet, she had a feeling that she had nothing to worry about with Dan. Rachel's mother was a different story though.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't watch where she was going and almost ran into the new parents and baby. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention," Haley said apologetically as Nathan came out of the teacher's lounge.

Peyton gave her a reassuring smile. "It's ok. You don't need to apologize," she told her as she gestured to her sleeping son in her arms. "I just stopped by to show everyone our new son. I would have stopped by sooner, but Ryan had to stay in the hospital for awhile since he was born early."

"He's ok now, right?" Lucas asked as he and Lindsey came over to them. They couldn't help but smile at the little baby.

Jake smiled proudly as he answered. "Yeah, he's strong just like his daddy."

"Is this the newest Jagielski?" a familiar voice asked. Everyone turned to see Victoria walking towards them. She gushed over the sight of the baby and gave a wide smile to Peyton and Jake. "You did a wonderful job. He's just perfect."

The new parents smiled at the compliment as Haley saw Brooke and her two friends Mouth and Millie from across the quad. However, she noticed that Brooke looked more annoyed than happy. She couldn't help but wonder why she was. She was about to question her when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

Ryan immediately started crying and Peyton tried to shush him. She knew that it was time to go. She quickly said good-bye as she and Jake left. Nathan, Lucas and Lindsey were right behind them.

Victoria was about to follow them when Haley stopped her. "I couldn't help but notice that Brooke didn't seem happy that everyone was admiring the baby," she said.

Victoria gave her a smile. "You're going to have to excuse Brooke. She gets a case of the green-eyed monster a little too often. She doesn't understand how grateful she should be. After all, I gave her life." Haley was confused by her answer. However, she again didn't have a chance to respond when Victoria excused herself. Haley was confused for only a couple of seconds more before realizing that she had to get to class.

That evening, everyone took a break from their work and studies to attend the basketball home game. Even Haley took a break from her grading to attend the game. It was her first basketball game that she had attended since her arrival in Tree Hill and she was excited to see Lucas in action.

The bleachers were full of people. However, she managed to find a seat next to Peyton. Haley couldn't help but smile. "So I assume Jake is at home with the baby?"

Peyton nodded. "Yes, he's giving me a break since I've been with Ryan all day." She then changed the subject. "So I heard that you are thinking of joining the Scott family for Thanksgiving. How come you accepted Nathan's invitation and not ours?" she teased her.

"Nathan has to get the idea past Rachel first because she doesn't like Jewel, my dog," Haley replied. "And Jewel doesn't like her."

"You have a dog? Really? What breed is she?" Peyton asked her and Haley pulled out her phone and showed her a picture of Jewel. Peyton smiled fondly at it. "She's so cute. Jake and I are thinking about getting a family pet eventually."

"Get a cat. They are so much easier to take care of," Rachel said as she joined them. "You don't have to walk them or play with them all the time. All cats do is lay around the house and sleep."

"But they could scratch you," Haley pointed out. "And you would still have to clean out the cat litter."

Rachel just rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Haley started to wonder how Nathan and Rachel had ended up getting married. They didn't seem like they had anything in common. She knew that she should stay out of it, but she didn't want Nathan to get hurt either.

She then watched the game and was impressed how well the Ravens played. "Wow, they are really good," she told Rachel as Lucas scored another three points. She couldn't help but notice Lucas flash a smile at his girlfriend, who was leading the cheerleading team.

"It's all thanks to my husband," Rachel replied proudly as she got Nathan's attention. They exchanged smiles before he turned his attention to the game. "He certainly knows how to figure out the perfect plays. After all, he was a Raven himself."

Haley knew that was true. She had remembered that he told her that during one of their many conversations. She watched the rest of the game and cheered with the rest of the Raven fans as they won the game.

Rachel then turned to Haley and Peyton. "Well, it looks like there will be some celebration going on at the club. Will I see you guys there?"

"No, I'm going home to my husband and baby," Peyton replied. "The game was fun, but I miss them."

"It sounds nice, but I think that I'm going to pass tonight," Haley added.

Rachel knew the reason. "You've got to go check on the dog," she said. "It's ok. I understand, but please stop by if you ever feel like having a drink or a favorite band of yours is playing."

Haley just nodded as she exchanged good-byes with them. She then headed out of the gym and towards the parking lot. She then heard footsteps and was surprised to see Nathan catching up with her. He gave her a wide smile. "So what did you think of my team?"

Haley smiled in return. "They are pretty good. Their team captain really knows how to lead them into victory."

Nathan was disappointed before he realized that she was teasing him. "Very funny," he said as he laughed slightly. He then changed the subject. "So are you coming to the club to help us celebrate? Or do you have papers to grade?"

Haley sighed. "I do have to finish grading papers, not to mention checking up on Jewel. I'm sure she's dying for a walk by now."

"I would go with you, but the team will be expecting me to be at the club," Nathan said.

Haley nodded understandingly. "It's no problem. I'm sure I can handle a walk by myself."

"Don't forget to steer clear of Whitey's house," Nathan reminded her. "And please call me if you end up in any trouble."

"I will," she promised. Nathan then walked her out to her car before heading back into the locker room.

Once he and Rachel were both ready, they headed to the club. After the victory party was over, Nathan and Rachel headed home without Lucas. He was taking Lindsey home before he would head home himself. Before Nathan could even give him the lecture, he told him that he would go straight there and straight back. Nathan was surprised, but pleased that he didn't even have to remind him.

When the two arrived home, both of them immediately went upstairs to get ready for bed. "Man, I'm exhausted," Nathan said as he took his shirt off and sat down on the bed. "I don't think I can keep my eyes open another minute."

Rachel gave him a smile. "Maybe I can convince you to stay up. I need some loving after a hard day at the club."

Nathan laughed. "I'm not sure it was hard as mine. The team was so restless at practice today. I'm surprised that they managed to concentrate on the game."

"Well, I'm glad that they did," Rachel replied as she walked into the master bathroom. "Otherwise, we would have no reason to celebrate tonight."

Nathan didn't know if it was a good time to bring up Haley joining them for Thanksgiving or not. "Rachel, do you mind if we have another person join us for Thanksgiving?" he asked her hesitantly.

"I thought Lucas was spending Thanksgiving over at Lindsey's house," Rachel replied.

Nathan frowned. "Where did you hear that?"

"Lucas was on the phone with Lindsey discussing Thanksgiving plans," Rachel told him. "I knew that he wasn't going to ask me for permission, but I thought that I would be nice and tell him that he could go."

Nathan couldn't believe his ears. "You told him that he could go without even consulting me first?"

Rachel gave him a look. "I'm sorry, but I was trying to be nice to him." She then gave him an apologetic look. "You know that we don't get along. So I thought that I could do him a favor."

Nathan sighed. "I appreciate that you are trying to be nice to him, but Thanksgiving is a time for family."

Rachel shrugged. "Well, it's not like Dan is his dad. He's your dad. And Lucas doesn't get along with my mom either. So it works out by being just the four of us."

Nathan made a face. "Actually, it's going to be five of us." Rachel was interested to hear who he had invited. "I invited Haley over for Thanksgiving dinner."

Rachel gave him a look. That was not the answer she was expecting. "Do you mean the next door neighbor with the dog? How could you invite her over? Doesn't she have her own family to be with for Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, but everyone in her family has other plans," Nathan said. Rachel scoffed at him. "Come on, Rachel. It would really mean a lot to me that you do this."

Rachel didn't say anything at first. She then spoke. "Will she be bringing the dog?"

Nathan gave her a look. "Do you have to say it that way? Jewel is such a sweet dog once you get to know her and vice versa."

"I don't want her to ruin our Thanksgiving dinner," Rachel replied. "You know how my mother is."

Nathan sighed. "I know, but I'm sure Haley will keep her in line."

Rachel sighed. "You really should have told me this before," she exclaimed angrily. "Now I'm going to have to make extra food so there is plenty for everyone."

"Well, you should have told me about Lucas's plan to go to Lindsey's house," Nathan countered. "Now we're even. And you know that you always make plenty of food. So it shouldn't be a problem for Haley to come over."

"I'm not going to Lindsey's house," a familiar voice said as he poked his head in the room. "I'm going to have Thanksgiving here with you guys."

Nathan was surprised. "What made you change your mind?" he asked him curiously.

"Well, I thought that I could suffer one family dinner with your dad and Rachel's mom," Lucas replied. "Not to mention my teacher."

Rachel nodded understandingly. "I see here. You have a crush on Ms. James." Lucas tried to protest, but she didn't let him. "That's so cute, but I don't think that Ms. James would want to date one of her students. Besides, what would Lindsey think?"

Lucas gave her an annoyed look as he replied, "I _don't_ have a crush on Ms. James. I'm just looking out for her like Nathan asked me to."

Rachel waited until he left to close the door and turn back to her husband. "You asked him to look out for her? Why the hell would you do that?"

Nathan gave her a look. "Because Lucas's classmates can be jackasses sometimes." Rachel wasn't convinced and Nathan could tell that from her expression. "We are just friends and coworkers. That's all," he assured her. "Now will you allow her to come to our Thanksgiving dinner or not?"

Rachel sighed before she finally answered. "Tell her to keep that dog of hers under control."

Nathan gave her a wide smile. "Thanks Rachel. You're the best." He then immediately called Haley as his wife watched him with jealousy in her eyes.


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N**: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese!

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**Chapter Six**

Haley was just coming back from her evening walk with Jewel when she heard her cell-phone ringing. She walked over to the phone and picked it up. She was happy when she discovered that Quinn was on the other end. "Hey, I assume that you made it to New York ok?" Haley asked her as she noticed the time. Quinn's plane had landed a half-hour ago.

Quinn laughed. _"Yeah, we just got back to David's apartment. You know, I like flying. But I still think it would have been fun if I had driven up with my baby sister."_ Haley knew what she was getting at. _"It's not too late, you know. You still could drive up with Jewel. I know David would welcome her with open arms."_

Haley was grateful for the invitation, but she was going to turn it down. "Thanks, but I think that I'll be fine. If Jewel misbehaves, then I'll have to take her home. I don't think that there will be any problems though."

_"Do you have to bring anything?"_ Quinn asked her.

"Yeah, Nathan asked me to get the pies," Haley replied. "So I bought two apple pies and two pumpkin pies. I hope those are enough for six people. I'm so used to our big family dinners that it's going to be weird eating with a smaller group."

_"I thought that you would be used to it by now,"_ Quinn replied_. "After all, you were always joining Julian and his parents while you were in California. What's the difference with Nathan and his family? Sure, you're meeting Nathan's dad and Rachel's mom. But you know the other three people."_

Haley stopped her right there. "Ok, I may have spent the holidays with Julian and his parents. But that didn't mean that I enjoyed being there. I probably would have if both of Julian's parents liked me. But it was only Paul. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with Nathan's family than Paul and Sylvia."

_"Are you more nervous in meeting Nathan's dad or Rachel's mom tomorrow?"_

Haley let out a sigh. "It's definitely Rachel's mother. From what Lucas told me, she is going to be just as rude to me as Rachel was," she replied. "But Nathan assured me that she will not judge me before she gets to know me."

_"I'm glad that he and Lucas are looking out for you,"_ Quinn replied_. "Because Mom and Dad were worried about you."_

Haley frowned. "Why? Because I moved into a town where I don't know anybody? Mom and Dad really need to stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself. I did it at Stanford. So I can certainly do it in Tree Hill. Besides, I have a lot more friends here than I did in California. Besides the Scotts, I have Jake and Peyton. Mrs. Davis seems nice too."

_"Is she your boss?"_ Quinn asked, trying to remember.

"Yes, she is my boss," Haley replied. "But that doesn't mean she is cruel to her employees. I just wish that I knew what is bothering her daughter, Brooke. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think that there is something going with her. I just wish that she could trust me."

_"Please don't tell me that you are going to investigate,"_ Quinn pleaded. _"I'm sure that Brooke will tell you when she's ready."_

"I'm not an idiot, Quinn. I'll only interfere if I have to," Haley replied as she heard a knock at the front door. "I got to go. There's someone at the door." They then exchanged good-byes before she hung up the phone. She then hurried to the door and gave Nathan a smile. "Hey, I would have thought that you would still be at practice."

Nathan gave her a smile as he spoke. "Actually, I canceled practice. I knew that my players wouldn't be able to concentrate with Thanksgiving tomorrow evening. I just stopped by the store for some things and picked you up a gallon of your favorite ice cream: Mint Chocolate Chip."

Haley returned the smile. "How thoughtful of you," she replied. "Thank you. I actually have a surprise for you too." She let him in and he followed her to the kitchen. She went to the freezer and opened it. Nathan laughed as he saw the ice cream in the freezer. "I was going to bring them over once it was time for dessert. I bought Rocky Road ice cream and vanilla ice cream. Do you want to join me in eating some ice cream now?"

Nathan didn't even have to think before he accepted the invitation. As Haley waited on him, he looked around at the house. "You know, I think this is the first time I've actually been in your house or even invited over for dessert."

"Well, I wanted to make sure that I had unpacked everything before inviting anybody over. I haven't even had my parents or Quinn over since I've moved here," Haley replied. "Besides, I knew that you were busy with basketball season. What do you do when the season is over? Or do you think about basketball all of the time?"

Nathan gave her a look. "I don't think about basketball all of the time." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "Actually, I'm hoping that Rachel and I will get to start our family soon."

Haley didn't know how to respond to that. "I'm sure you will," she replied as she gave him his bowl of ice cream. "These things just take time." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "Are you sure that Rachel wants kids?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

Haley shook her head. "No reason," she replied and didn't say another word about it.

The next afternoon, Haley took Jewel for a quick walk before heading over to the Scotts. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Nathan. "Come on in and make yourself at home," he told her as an older gentleman came into the foyer. "Haley, this is my dad, Dan Scott. Dad, this is Haley James. She is my new next door neighbor and coworker."

Dan gave her a warm smile as he took the pies from her. "It's so nice to meet you, Haley. Nathan told me all about you. I hope my son has been making you feel welcomed in Tree Hill."

Haley smiled in return as she handed the ice cream to Nathan. "You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Scott. Your son has been the perfect host."

"Please call me 'Dan'," Dan replied before he noticed Jewel. "And this must be your dog, Jewel."

Haley nodded. "Yes, it is," she replied as Jewel went towards him, wagging her tail. She wasn't surprised since Jewel had liked Nathan and Lucas. She was more concerned about Rachel's mother than him. However, she decided not to worry about it until she arrived.

Dan greeted her before Nathan led his guests into the kitchen, where Rachel was hard at work. Rachel turned around for a quick moment and greeted them. "Do you need any help?" Haley asked her, noticing how frazzled she looked.

Rachel was about to answer when her husband gave her a look, telling her to be nice. "Yeah, that would be great," she replied. "I'm not much of a cook. But according to Nathan, I manage to do ok."

Nathan gave her a smile. "You do. Don't sell yourself short," he replied as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I just hope that I'm making enough for six people," Rachel said.

Dan frowned as he asked, "Don't you mean eight people?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, Lucas didn't invite Lindsey," he replied. "Why would you think it would be eight?"

"Because I invited my new girlfriend and her daughter to our Thanksgiving dinner," Dan told him. He then frowned again as he added, "I thought I called you and asked you if they could come."

"When did you get a new girlfriend?" Nathan asked him. "From what I remember, you were still dating Emily Chambers."

"We broke up months ago," Dan replied. "I've moved on to Victoria Davis."

All three were surprised. "Victoria Davis? As my boss, Victoria Davis?" Nathan asked him in a shocked tone.

Dan nodded. "Yes, and this is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew that you would overreact."

Before Nathan could respond, Rachel spoke up. "I think that the point you're trying to make is that you invited a few more guests, right?" she asked Dan. He nodded. "Then we'll make it work." Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had never expected that answer from his wife. The holiday must have gotten to her. "Just make sure that you call Nathan next time. You know how much I hate surprises."

"Why? Surprises are so much fun," Haley replied.

"This is why. Because the surprises that I get are never fun," Rachel told her before she turned back to her work. Haley then knew that the conversation was over. Rachel then instructed her about what she could do next.

As she and Rachel worked, they heard the doorbell ringing. "Do you want me to get that?" Haley asked her. Dan and Nathan had left to join Lucas at the River Court. Rachel nodded so Haley walked through the house and to the front door. She opened the door and gave a warm smile to Victoria and Brooke. "Happy Thanksgiving. Come on in."

Victoria returned the smile. "Happy Thanksgiving, Haley. I didn't realize that you were going to join the Scott family too."

"Well, Nathan invited me a couple of days ago," Haley replied as Jewel came into the front hall. Jewel immediately starting growling once she saw Victoria. "I must apologize. She doesn't like strangers."

"It's perfectly alright. I understand," Victoria said as Haley tried to calm her down. Brooke let Jewel smell her just before Jewel's tail started wagging. Haley smiled at the cute scene. However, Victoria just ignored her daughter. "So why don't you lead me to the kitchen?" she asked Haley. "This jello salad is getting heavy."

Haley quickly apologized and led her to the kitchen. Rachel and Victoria started chatting while Haley went back to Brooke and Jewel. "I wish that I had a dog," Brooke said as she and Haley walked into the living room. Jewel was right behind them. "That way, I could have a guard dog to protect me."

"Well, I think Jewel is a little too overprotective of me sometimes," Haley admitted. "But she has really warmed up to you. The only other people I've seen her do that so quickly is Nathan and Lucas." She then corrected herself. "Or should I say 'Coach Scott'?"

Brooke managed a smile. "Coach Scott is usually for the basketball players and cheerleaders. I call him 'Mr. Scott'."

"You don't cheer?" Haley asked her. "You look like a girl who could be a great cheerleader."

Brooke turned red. "No, I've always been a little too scared to do it. Besides, I've heard that the head cheerleader is such a bitch." She then became quiet. "I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to swear."

Haley gave her a smile. "It's ok. I won't tell anybody," she whispered.

Brooke smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ms. James. I really appreciate it."

Haley was about to ask her more questions when they heard Victoria's voice. "Haley, Rachel needs your help," she told her. Haley nodded and got off the couch. As she left the room, she could see the tension between mother and daughter. For a moment, she wondered why. However, she couldn't think on it for long since Rachel was waiting for her.

A few hours later, the Scott men returned from their game. By then, dinner was nearly ready. The only person who was absent was Rachel's mother. She was running late, but she promised that she would be there as soon as she could. Rachel was disappointed, but she understood.

Lucas rolled his eyes after he had heard about the conversation. "Why am I not surprised that she's running late?" he asked as he turned to his guests. "The only time that her mother wasn't late was for her daughter's wedding."

To Haley's surprise, Nathan didn't even scold him. She then realized that he was too preoccupied in paying attention to Dan and Victoria, who were in their own little world. She could see that he was really annoyed by it. As for Brooke, she was just quiet.

"Nathan, why don't you carve the turkey?" Rachel asked her husband, ignoring Lucas's rude comment. Nathan snapped out of his daydream and started carving the bird. Rachel then began pouring wine into the glasses except for Lucas and Brooke.

"Could I have some wine?" Lucas asked his brother. Nathan thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"Is Brooke allowed to have wine?" Rachel asked Victoria.

"Absolutely not," Victoria quickly replied. "She's too young to drink."

Rachel then knew the conversation was over and didn't say another word about it. Instead, they started going around the table saying what they were thankful for. Just when Haley was about to take her turn, they heard the front door open.

Rachel instantly got up from her chair and left the room. Haley started to get nervous, but Nathan gave her a comforting smile as Rachel walked back into the room with her mother. "Everyone, this is my mother, Charlene." She then did introductions for Victoria and Brooke first. She then came to Haley.

However, Nathan spoke up first. "Charlene, this is Haley James, our new neighbor and my coworker."

"Welcome to Tree Hill, Ms. James," Charlene said as she gave Haley an appraising once over. "I hope you are enjoying our little town."

Haley nodded. "I am," she replied. "In fact, I was just going to take my turn in saying what I'm thankful for."

"Well, don't let me stop you," Charlene said as she found her place next to her daughter. "Please say it. I would_ love_ to hear it."

Haley was startled by the tone that she used. However, she didn't let that bother her as she started her short speech. "I'm grateful that I'm able to start my life over in this quiet town of Tree Hill with my new friends and neighbors." Nathan couldn't help but smile at that. "I can't thank you enough for letting me into your lives."

"You don't have to thank us," Victoria replied. "We're happy that you're here."

The others nodded in agreement except for Rachel and Charlene. Once they started eating, Charlene immediately began grilling Haley about her life. Both Lucas and Nathan had to come to Haley's rescue a few times; especially after Charlene started pushing Haley to tell her more about her relationship with Julian.

Finally, Haley couldn't take it anymore. She angrily glared at Charlene. "Why don't you mind your own damn business and stopping butting into mine?" she exclaimed angrily. "Or do you really have something else better to do than listen to the lies your daughter told you about me?" she snapped. There was silence as she left the dining room. Nathan glared at Rachel before following Haley out the door.

"Haley, please don't go," Nathan pleaded.

Haley didn't want to listen. "This was a mistake. I never should have accepted your invitation. Especially once I knew that it would be Rachel_ and_ her mother ganging up on me. They hate me because Rachel thinks that I'm competition for you."

"That's ridiculous," Nathan replied.

Haley gave him a look. "Why else would her mother interrogate me like I was some type of criminal? Your dad didn't do that." Nathan hated to admit it, but she had a point. "Next time that you want to invite me over, make sure your wife and mother-in-law aren't home," she told him before heading back to her house. Nathan sadly watched her go before returning to his own house, furious at his wife for ruining Thanksgiving dinner.


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N**: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese!

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Haley was just lying on the couch reading a book when she heard a knock at the door. She ignored it. She had a feeling that it was Nathan and she really didn't want to talk to him. However, the person kept knocking on the door. She let out a sigh and finally put her book down. She got up from the couch and walked to the front door. She pulled the door open and was surprised to see Lucas standing on her front porch.

"Nathan and Rachel are fighting again. I'm not allowed to stay over at Lindsey's house. Would it be too crazy to spend the night over here tonight?" Lucas asked her. Haley was hesitant to answer. "I understand if you don't want visitors, but I really don't want to stay in the house with those two arguing."

Haley was quiet for a moment before she answered. "Alright, you can sleep in the guestroom tonight." Lucas smiled gratefully as he walked into the hall. Haley then closed the door behind him. "I assume that Nathan knows that you are staying over here?"

"I tried to tell him, but I don't know if he could hear me with all of the yelling," Lucas replied as he greeted Jewel. "I'm sorry about Rachel's mom. She shouldn't be sticking her nose into your relationship with your ex-boyfriend." He didn't let her have a chance to respond as he noticed the book that she was reading. "You like _Julius Cesar_?" he asked her in amazement.

Haley gave him a look. "Yes, do you have a problem with your teacher liking the same book you do?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, of course not. I was just surprised. That's all." They then started discussing the book before they continued onto other books. They were in such a deep conversation that they didn't even realize the time. Lucas gave her a wide smile. "Man, you are so much more fun to talk to than Rachel or Nathan. Why is that?"

Haley smiled in return. "Is talking to Nathan really that bad?"

Lucas sighed. "I know that he is supposed to be my guardian, but he's also my brother. I hate that he acts like more of a parent than my brother. I already had a dad and he was great. I don't want another one. I need my brother. Lindsey thinks I should just get emancipated from him so I don't have to worry about his rules anymore."

"Have you ever told Nathan how you feel about this?" Haley asked him. She didn't want to get into the middle of this, but she couldn't help asking.

"I have tried, but he never listens to me," Lucas replied. There was a short pause before he spoke quietly. "He is always too busy with basketball or Rachel to even talk to me. I tried to warn him about all of his old girlfriends, but he didn't want to hear what I wanted to say. It's weird because I could tell my dad everything. But thanks to Rachel, I feel like I am more of a guest in the house than a member of the family."

Haley felt sorry for him. "You two must have been very close then."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, we were. But I was close to my mom too. I wish you could have met her. She would have liked you. I always helped her out with her café." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "I wish that Nathan could have kept it open instead of closing it." He then thought for a moment. "Actually, I wished that he would have given it to me. I would have taken care of it." He then turned to her. "Did Nathan ever show you the café?"

Haley shook her head. "No, he hasn't."

"I actually keep the place neat and tidy in case Nathan ever changes his mind and wants to keep it open," Lucas replied. "So I can drive you over to see it anytime. I would take you now, but I'm afraid that we might be mistaken for burglars or something. And I really don't want to get arrested for breaking into my mom's café."

"I don't blame you," Haley replied as Lucas had a thoughtful look on his face. "What are you thinking about?"

Lucas was quiet for a moment before answering. "Well, I was thinking that you could run the café." Haley didn't know what to say at first. Lucas then used the opportunity to make his case. "Come on, Ms. James. It would be so nice to have the café back. It was the favorite place to hang out for the students of Tree Hill High School."

Haley gave him a gentle smile. "I would love to bring the café back, but I don't know anything about running a business. Besides, I have a job already. And I love it."

"But you won't have that job forever," Lucas pointed out. Haley gave him a look. "I'm sure my family will help you. At least, I know Dan and I will. If it's about money, I'm sure Nathan will sell it to you for a reasonable price."

Haley let out a sigh. "I'll think about it, ok?"

Lucas gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ms. James." He then frowned as he asked, "Now where is the guestroom again?"

"It's up the stairs and to your right," Haley replied. "I'll set out some towels for you in the guest bathroom." Lucas thanked her. They then said good-night to each other before he headed upstairs. Haley stayed downstairs for a little longer before she headed to bed herself.

The next morning, Haley woke up a little later than her usual time. She had trouble sleeping the night before as she couldn't stop thinking about Lucas's offer to buy the café. She still didn't know what her decision was yet.

Once she checked the time again, she immediately got up and dressed that so she could take Jewel for a walk. When she got downstairs, she was surprised to find that Lucas had already done it for her. "I swear that I'm not trying to suck up to you," he assured her. "I don't have a chance to do this very often."

"Don't worry. I believe you," Haley replied as she started to make her breakfast. "Nathan told me all about the Scott family being dog lovers and knowing how to raise them."

Lucas nodded. "I wish that we could have a pet, but Rachel doesn't like dogs," he replied. "She thinks that they will be too much trouble."

Haley didn't have a chance to respond when she heard the doorbell ring. She went to answer it and wasn't surprised to see it was Nathan. They greeted each other as Lucas came into the hallway. Both Lucas and Haley could tell that the argument hadn't gone well. Nathan turned to his brother. "I wasn't sure if I had heard you correctly, but I guess you really did walk over here last night. It's safe to return to the house now. Rachel has gone to the club." He then turned to Haley. "She is willing to meet you for lunch there to apologize."

Haley didn't have a chance to respond when Lucas spoke up. "Haley wants to buy the café," he blurted out.

Nathan turned to her surprised and asked, "You want to buy the café?"

"I told Lucas that I was only _thinking_ about it," Haley corrected Lucas. "He told me how much he missed hanging out at the café with his friends. He doesn't think that it deserves to be closed. I agree with him, but the problem is that I don't know anything about running a business."

Nathan stopped her right there. "Look, it's nice that you want to do this for Lucas, but I don't think that it's a good idea."

Lucas wasn't giving up. "Of course it is. We could help her out with it." He really wanted this to work out. He then looked hard at Nathan. "You didn't already sell the café, did you?"

Nathan sighed. "No, but you're right. That place has been vacant for far too long. So I'm going to sell it." He then turned to Haley. "No offense, but I don't think that you are the right person for the job."

"None taken," Haley replied.

Lucas frowned. "If you aren't going to sell it to Haley, then who is going to buy the place?"

"I don't know yet. But you will have a say in who does," Nathan replied. Lucas was surprised, but pleased that he was going to be involved in the decision. "Well, the café is yours as much as it is mine. After all, you were practically raised there."

Lucas gave him a grateful smile. "As long as Rachel or her mom don't buy it, I'm good." He then exchanged good-byes with Haley before he headed out the front door. "I'm going to Lindsey's," he told his brother. "I'll be back by curfew."

"That's all I ask," Nathan called back before he turned back to Haley. "Thank you for letting him spend the night here."

"It was no problem," Haley replied. "He was great company last night."

There was an awkward silence before Nathan spoke up. "So were you really thinking about buying the café?"

Haley shrugged. "I might have. It really means a lot to Lucas to keep the café. So I was willing to make him happy. It's too bad that I can't make your wife and mother-in-law happy by leaving Tree Hill; because I'm here to stay."

Nathan sighed. He knew that would be brought up sooner or later. "They are not trying to run you out of town. It's just that Charlene is very overprotective of Rachel. She doesn't want her to get hurt. She wanted to make sure that you weren't going to go after me," he explained.

Haley gave him a look. "Why the hell would I do that? Because I'm single?" she asked him. "I may have broken up with my boyfriend, but I'm not looking into dating right now; especially my neighbor who is happily married to his wife."

"I know that you wouldn't, but Rachel doesn't believe that," Nathan replied. "She probably should hear it from you."

Haley couldn't argue with that. "Don't worry. I will tell her that she has nothing to worry about. Tell her that I'll be at the club at lunch." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "If you don't mind, I have a lot to do. So could you go?" she asked. She really didn't want to be rude, but she wanted to get started on her lesson plan for Monday. Nathan nodded understandingly. They then exchanged good-byes before he left her alone.

A few hours later, Haley parked her car in front of the club. She climbed out of the vehicle and went up the stairs. She walked into the building and looked around the empty room. There was silence. "Rachel, are you here?" Haley called. Part of her hoped that she wouldn't call back. She really didn't want to talk to her right now. "It's Haley."

She was about to leave when she heard footsteps. She turned to see Rachel coming out of the bathroom. She ignored Haley as she went to the bar. "I can't believe this," she muttered. "I can't tell Nathan. I'm going to have to get rid of it. Nathan will never have to know about it."

Haley then managed to get her attention. "Is everything ok?" she asked her.

Rachel ignored the question. "Wow, I'm surprised that you're talking to me after my mother interrogated you."

"Nathan told me about why your mother was grilling me with inappropriate questions about my personal relationship with my ex-boyfriend," Haley replied. "I understand that you don't want anyone to take away your husband from you. Well, you don't have to worry about that. I have no intention of flirting with Nathan. Nathan and I are just friends, neighbors and coworkers. That's all." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "However, it may be a different story if you're planning to do what I think that you are planning to do."

Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Really? What do you think I'm planning to do?" she asked, curious to hear what she would say.

"If I heard you correctly, you have just found out that you're pregnant. And you're planning to abort the baby without even telling Nathan," Haley replied. She glared at her. "How can you do that knowing that Nathan wants to start a family?" she exclaimed angrily. Rachel didn't answer as Haley looked at her hard. "You never wanted children in the first place, did you? You just married him for his money."

Rachel didn't let her get any further. "This is really none of your business. So I suggest that you stay out of it."

Haley wouldn't back down. "Either you tell him the truth or I will."

Rachel tried not to laugh. "Who do you think that he will believe? His new coworker or his wife?" Haley became quiet. She knew that she had a point. It would be hard to get him to believe her without proof. "I thought so. Now get out of my club before I call security."

Haley glared at her one last time before she angrily walked out of the club. She wasn't going to let Rachel get away with her lies. It wasn't right. Even though she knew Nathan would get hurt, he had to know the truth about that bitch.


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N**: Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Haley paced across the floor, lost in thought. Nathan had to know the truth about his lying wife. However, she also knew that he wouldn't believe her without proof. After all, he had known Rachel a lot longer than Haley. She started to think of the tricks that she had used against Taylor to get her to tell the truth about something. Taylor never was one for honesty so it was hard for Haley to believe what she said at times.

As she paced across the floor, she heard the doorbell ring. She wasn't in the mood for visitors. However, she decided to be polite and answer the door anyway. She walked to the front door and saw a smiling Nathan. He didn't let her get a word in. "Do you have any plans tomorrow night? Because Rachel and I are having a party at the club and I would really love it if you would come."

Haley took a deep breath before she spoke. "Nathan, I really need to talk to you about Rachel."

Nathan didn't let her go on. "Yeah, Rachel told me about the run in at the club. But she couldn't help being grouchy at you," he said. "After all, she is pregnant!" Haley gaped at him. She couldn't believe that Rachel told him. "I'm going to be a father," he exclaimed happily. "Isn't that great?"

Haley did her best to smile. "Yeah, that is great. Congratulations." There was a short pause before she asked, "How does Rachel feel about it?"

"Well, she was surprised, but she said that she could get used to the idea," Nathan told her. "Why do you ask?"

Haley shrugged. "I was just wondering."

Nathan couldn't stop smiling. "So you will be at the club tonight, right?" he asked hopefully.

Haley could tell that he really wanted her to be there. She let out a sigh before answering. "Yeah, I'll be there."

Nathan smiled happily at her as he heard his cell-phone ringing. He excused himself before answering it. When he came back, he looked upset. Haley looked at him curious. "Someone broke into the café. I've got to go and see what is going on over there. Do you want to come with me?" he asked her. Haley nodded before she followed him out the door.

Once they arrived at the café, Nathan was surprised to see that the lights were on inside. They walked up to the door and found it to be unlocked. He opened the door slowly and poked his head in. "Hello, is anybody in here?" he called as he looked around the empty room. There was no answer.

Nathan led Haley in and showed her around. She didn't want to admit it, but she fell in love with the place at once. "Wow, this is a nice place," she told him. "It's too bad that you want to sell it."

They were about to leave when they heard faint giggling. Nathan frowned, wondering where it was coming from. They walked in the back room and couldn't believe what they saw. Lucas and Lindsey were making out passionately on the floor while they were barely covered up. Nathan glared at them. "What the hell do you two think that you're doing in here?" he demanded as Lucas and Lindsey came back to reality.

They quickly covered themselves up as Lucas tried to find his voice. "I can explain," he exclaimed.

Nathan gave him a look. "I think the scene speaks for itself," he snapped before he ushered Haley out of the room. Nathan shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that he did this. This is his mother's café. I thought he had more respect for her than this."

Haley had to admit that she was too surprised about what she had discovered. She knew how much the café meant to Lucas. She had a feeling that Lindsey was involved. However, she didn't want to say anything until she was sure. She didn't want to upset Nathan anymore than he already was.

A few minutes later, Lucas and Lindsey came into the room, fully dressed. Before Nathan could even give Lucas a lecture, Lindsey spoke up. "I'm so sorry, Coach Scott. It is my fault. We were just making out and I was the one who encouraged him to do it here."

"You know, you're not allowed to do it at school. What makes you think that you're allowed to do it here?" Nathan demanded. Lucas was about to protest when his brother continued. "I know all about your make out sessions in the storage room."

"Why the hell you are getting so upset about it? It's just kissing." Lucas exclaimed.

Nathan gave him a look. "That did not look like kissing," he told him in a firm tone. "I thought you were brought up better than that."

"According to Mom, you used to do it all the time in high school with your girlfriends!" Lucas snapped.

Nathan wanted to get the topic off of him. "That's not the point. The point is that this isn't the example that I want you to set for your niece or nephew."

Lucas was about to respond when he processed what his brother just said. "You and Rachel are pregnant?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes, and we were going to celebrate the news tonight with a party at the club. But now, I'm not so sure if it's a good idea. I don't want anything to ruin the celebration."

"I won't," Lucas assured him. "Because I'm not going. In fact, I don't think that I will be a problem much longer. After the holidays are over, I'm moving out and getting emancipated from you."

Nathan raised his eyebrows. "Really? And where are you going to live?"

Lucas only thought for a moment before he spoke. "I'll live with Ms. James until I can find an apartment."

Nathan turned to Haley surprised. "So that is what you and Lucas talked about last night?"

"No. I told him that I'm not getting in the middle between you two," Haley replied. "It's the same with you and Rachel. As much as I want to get involved, I have to let Rachel tell you the truth about the baby."

Nathan looked at her confused. "What about the baby?"

Haley tried to think of a good answer. "You're going to have to ask Rachel," she told him. "Because I really don't want to get in the middle of this."

"I think it's a little late for that," Lucas replied. Nathan gave him a look. "Lindsey and I will be in the car."

"No, Ms. James and Lindsey will be in the car. We still need to talk," Nathan corrected him.

Lucas didn't want to stay at the café any longer. "There's nothing to talk about. I meant what I said. Whether Ms. James will let me move in or not, I'm moving out of the house," he said before he took Lindsey's hand. "Don't bother waiting up for me."

Nathan didn't have a chance to respond as Lucas and Lindsey left the café. He let out a heavy sigh. "I can't believe this. My dad is dating my boss. Lucas hates me and wants to get emancipated from me. What else can go wrong this weekend?"

Haley didn't want to add more bad news. So she decided to try and cheer him up. "I'm sure he just needs to cool down."

Nathan sighed. "I hope so. Because I have a feeling that he would only get into worse trouble if he is allowed to be emancipated from me."

* * *

That evening, Haley was finishing up to get ready for the party when she heard the doorbell ring. She knew that it was Peyton and Jake. They were picking her up since Nathan had been at the club after he had dropped her off from the café. Haley had promised him to keep an eye out for Lucas. But she hadn't seen him since he had left the café.

She went to answer it and gave her guests a wide smile as she let them in. They were greeted by Jewel as Haley spoke. "Wow, I thought you two were going to be late because of your new baby," she teased them.

Peyton gave her a look. "When you are a mother, you'll understand how hard it is to leave your newborn baby."

"Ryan will be fine with his grandparents," Jake assured her. He then changed the subject. "So how was your Thanksgiving with the Scotts?" he asked Haley. She made a face. Jake nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I met Rachel's mother. She can be a bitch sometimes." Peyton gave him a look. "Hey, our son isn't around. Besides, he won't pick up on our words right away."

Haley really didn't want to hear another argument. "I'll tell you about it on the way there," she replied. "Let me just get my purse and I'll be ready to go."

Soon, the three were at the club. Haley was amazed how far Nathan and Rachel had gone with decorating the club. Pink and blue was everywhere. Nathan came over and greeted his guests before he led them over to their private booth. Haley could tell that his bad mood had disappeared. Either that, he was hiding his feelings very well.

They started talking as Dan and Victoria joined them. They exchanged greetings as the two sat down. "Where is your darling son?" Victoria asked Peyton and Jake. "I was hoping to see him again."

"My parents are watching him for tonight," Jake replied. "I didn't think that the club was an appropriate place for the baby to be."

"Where's Brooke?" Haley asked Victoria as Rachel joined them. They avoided eyes as Haley waited for Victoria's answer.

"I'm afraid that Brooke isn't feeling very well tonight," Victoria replied. She then turned to Nathan. "So now that you and Rachel are pregnant, I'm sure that you want a boy to carry on the Scott family name, right?" Victoria asked Nathan.

Nathan laughed. "Well, I do. But I really want a healthy baby too."

Haley began to notice a pattern with Victoria. She seemed really interested in boys. It made her think of the day that Peyton had brought Ryan to the school and Brooke had made a face. Haley then realized that Brooke wasn't reacting to the baby. She was reacting to the way her mother was gushing over the baby.

Haley then thought of Victoria's odd answer to her question about Brooke. She also thought of her conversation with Brooke just yesterday about wanting to be protected. She started to put the pieces together and came to a horrible realization. However, she didn't want to butt in without proof.

She then snapped out of her daydream as Nathan asked her a question. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked her.

"Water would be fine," Haley replied before Nathan went to get their drinks. Jake offered to help him. Haley just listened as the others conversed with each other. As the two came back, Charlene finally arrived. They exchanged hellos as Rachel embraced her mother in a hug.

"Haley, may I speak to you for a moment alone?" Charlene asked her right away.

Haley had a feeling that it had something to do with Rachel and the baby. She was curious to hear what she wanted to say so she nodded. She excused herself and followed Charlene away from the group. "I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was rude and inappropriate of me to ask you about your personal life. I assure you that it won't happen again." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "Therefore, I assume that you will stay out of my daughter's personal life."

Haley didn't say anything. She didn't want to cause a scene and ruin the party. However, she knew that she wouldn't be able to stand being around Rachel or her mother. She then realized how much it meant for Nathan for her to stay at the party. She decided to stay as long as she could for Nathan.

Haley managed to stay for a couple of hours before she was tired of Rachel's fake act. She made the excuse that she needed to check up on Jewel. In reality, she was going to check up on Brooke. She had heard Dan telling the group that he and Victoria were going away for the rest of the weekend. So she knew that this was the perfect opportunity to see what was really going on in the Davis household.

Nathan walked Haley out to her car. "Thanks for coming. Do you think that you can check on my house too?"

Haley nodded, knowing that he meant Lucas. "Of course I can." They exchanged good-byes before she slid into the driver's seat. "I'll see you later." Nathan just nodded as he watched her leave. She was relieved that she didn't have to deal with Rachel or her mother anymore. Charlene had been watching her like a hawk all evening.

It took her awhile before she arrived at the house. When she arrived, she pulled up to the curb before stopping the car and turning off the engine. She knew that she was taking a big risk, but she had to find out what was going on with Victoria and Brooke. She climbed out of her car and walked up to the front porch and rang the doorbell. She waited patiently for Brooke to answer it.

The door finally opened and Brooke looked at Haley surprised. "Ms. James, what are you doing here?" she asked her as she let her into the front hall.

"Your mom told me that you were sick and I just wanted to make sure that you were ok," Haley replied.

"It's just a twenty-four hour bug," Brooke assured her. "I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"I also heard that your mom is going to be gone this weekend," Haley told her. "So you're welcome to stay with me if you feel like you need some company."

Brooke gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ms. James. But I think that I'll be ok. I'm used to my mother being gone all the time."

Haley nodded understandingly. "I should probably get going. I'll see you in class on Monday." Brooke nodded. They then said good-bye as Haley walked back out to her car. She was disappointed that she couldn't prove her hunch yet. However, she wasn't going to stop until she did. As much as she wanted to prove to Nathan that Rachel wasn't the person he thought she was, she knew that she had to help Brooke first. Her life depended on it.


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N: **Thank you for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

The rest of the weekend went by fast. Soon, Haley was back to teaching her students. She kept a close eye on Lucas and Brooke, who both seemed distracted. Haley was a little distracted herself. She had spent all weekend trying to figure out how to handle the Brooke situation. She hated to think that Victoria was abusing Brooke. Yet, all of the signs pointed to it.

She knew that she had to push her thoughts aside and concentrate on teaching. She continued her lesson as she heard a cell-phone ringing. She knew that it wasn't hers. Hers was on vibrate. She tried to ignore it, hoping that the culprit would turn the phone off. However, it kept ringing. She finally turned around to her class and immediately saw that Lucas was fiddling with his phone. Haley gave him a look as she asked, "Would you turn that off, please?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. James. It's my lawyer," Lucas told her. Classmates gave him confused and curious looks. "I didn't think that he would call back so soon."

Haley was amazed that Lucas had gotten a lawyer already. However, she didn't want to hear excuses. "Could you just turn it off?" she asked him. Lucas nodded. "Thank you." She then turned back to the board and continued writing her notes. She didn't want to admit it, but she was glad when class was over. She had kept making on mistakes when she was writing her lecture notes. Her students had noticed, but nobody wanted to say anything.

As the day wore on, Haley couldn't help but notice that there were a lot of excited whispers between students. She didn't have to wonder to know that it was probably about Lucas. He was a popular jock and his classmates looked up to him. She could tell that he was getting praised for the possibility of getting emancipated from his brother.

As she walked into the teachers' lounge, Jake greeted her. She was surprised to see that Nathan wasn't there. Before she could ask, Jake spoke up first. "How are you doing?" he asked her. "It must be tough for you." Haley gave him a confused look in response. "Peyton's maternity leave is almost up? So you won't be teaching for awhile?" he gently reminded her.

Haley then realized what he was talking about. "I have completely forgotten about that," she admitted. "I've had other things on my mind."

"I'll be sure to tell your students that you won't miss them," Jake teased her. "So what's up?"

Haley sighed. She really didn't want to get Jake involved until she was sure. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone else noticed the signs. "Have you noticed anything off between Victoria and her daughter Brooke?"

Jake thought for a minute. He then shook his head. "No, it's normal for Victoria and Brooke to ignore each other during school hours. After all, it's not easy being the principal's daughter." Haley knew that he had a point. "Why do you ask?"

Haley didn't want to talk about it. She quickly changed the subject. "So where's Nathan?"

Jake sighed. "He is eating lunch in his office," he replied. "I think he wanted some alone time."

Haley nodded understandingly. However, she still wanted to check up on him. She left the room and walked through the hallways to the school gym. She was surprised that nobody was in there except for Nathan. She then watched him as he shot baskets. "Well, it's nice to see the Ravens aren't the only ones who can play," Haley teased him as Nathan turned to her surprised. "It's nice to see Coach Scott gets in on the action too."

Nathan tried not to laugh. "Hey, I played basketball back in the day," he defended as he gestured her to look up at the wall. She did and saw his jersey, number twenty-three. "Soon, my son will be right up there with me." Haley kept her mouth shut. "Do you think you can do better?"

"No, I can't," Haley admitted. "I suck at sports. I stayed away from the gym when I went to Stanford."

"No wonder you don't like attending basketball games," Nathan replied. He then gave her a smile as he beckoned her over to him. "Come on over here and I'll teach you how to make a basket." Haley wasn't convinced. "At least show me what you got."

Haley sighed before she gave in. "Alright, but don't say that I didn't warn you," she told him as he threw her the ball. He moved out of the way as she went over to the lines. She bounced the ball a few times before she positioned herself to shoot. She threw the ball towards the basket and the ball soared to the side of the basket, completely missing its target.

Nathan tried not to laugh. "Was that your jump shot?" he asked her as he grabbed the ball. He then walked back over to her. "Because if that was your jump shot, I can't teach you anymore."

Haley couldn't help but smile. "I told you that I suck at this," she reminded him. She then groaned in frustration. "This is so embarrassing. I can't even make a stupid basket. So I might as well give up now. I can't do this."

Nathan gave her an encouraging smile. "Yes, you can," he assured her as he stood next to her. He then gave her instructions on the proper way to prepare to shoot the ball. She repeated his actions as he gave her the ball back. "Bend your knees," he directed her. She did as she was told. "And shoot." Haley threw the ball again towards the basket. This time, the ball hit the backboard. Haley groaned and Nathan gave her a comforting smile. "Hey, that was better than last time." He then grabbed the ball. "Do you want to try it again?" he asked her. Haley stood there for a few moments before she grabbed the ball and tried to make another basket.

Nathan continued to help Haley try to make a basket until lunch was over. Neither wanted to get back to work, but they knew that they had to. They soon agreed to do more practicing after school since Nathan hadn't started basketball practices back up yet.

After school, Haley again met Nathan in the gym. He kept giving her pointers, but she still kept missing baskets. She wanted to give up, but Nathan wouldn't let her. He wanted her to keep trying until she made a basket.

Haley gave him a look. "You do realize that it might take all night. And we don't have that kind of time. I have to work on my lesson plan for the rest of the week. And I'm sure Rachel is wondering where you are."

Nathan knew that was true. He sighed as he said, "Yeah, and I have to get ready for this whole emancipation thing with Lucas. I'm still hoping that he won't go through with this. I don't think that he knows what he is getting into."

"There is still time. Maybe you could try and talk to him again," Haley suggested. "And this time, you might want to do it as his brother and not as his guardian." Nathan had a thoughtful look on his face as Haley said good-bye to him.

When Haley arrived home, she was greeted by Jewel. She then took her for a walk around the neighborhood. As they came back to the house, she noticed an unfamiliar car was parked in front of the Scott's house. She then saw that a man was waiting on the front lawn. She couldn't help but wonder who this man was. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" she called as she walked over to him.

The man just gave her a friendly smile. "You must be Haley James. I'm Andrew Hargrove, but you can call me Andy," Andy told her as they shook hands. "I'm an old friend of their mom's."

"It's nice to meet you," Haley replied as she introduced Jewel. Andy gave her a little bit of attention as Haley looked at the quiet house. "Unfortunately, I don't think that anyone is home right now. Did you check the club?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah, but they weren't there. I decided to try the house before I head over to the café. In fact, that's why I'm here. I heard about Nathan wanting to sell it. And I want to save the café for Lucas and Karen." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "I also heard that you were interested in buying the café."

Haley turned red. "I only wanted to do it for Lucas. He really didn't want the café to turn into anything else but the café," she explained. "But I don't know anything about running a café. Besides, I love my job that I have already."

Andy nodded understandingly. "What are you going to do after your time is up?"

Haley sighed. "I haven't really thought about it yet," she replied as another car came up to the house and pulled into the driveway. To her disappointment, it was Rachel. However, she put on a smile as she watched Rachel climb out of the vehicle.

Rachel gave them both smiles as she walked over to them. "Andy Hargrove, this is certainly a surprise. Did you come to congratulate us yourself?" she asked him, completely ignoring Haley. Andy gave her a confused look. "Nathan and I are expecting a baby."

Andy was surprised, but pleased. "Wow, that is wonderful. Congratulations to you two."

Rachel smiled proudly. "Thanks. So are you planning to stick around for awhile? Because I'm sure Nathan would love it if you could make it to his birthday party in a couple of weeks."

Andy laughed. "I should be since I'm planning to buy the café."

This time, Rachel was surprised. "Really? That's great." Haley could tell that she was upset about it. "I have no doubt that you will certainly enjoy the place." She then quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you come on in while we wait for Nathan?" she suggested.

Andy turned to Haley and gave her a smile. "Actually, I have business to discuss with Ms. James."

Rachel tried not to laugh. "Andy, you must be joking. Haley isn't capable of handling a business."

Haley gave her a look. "I can speak for myself. And frankly, this isn't any of your business." Rachel was about to protest when Haley didn't let her. She was ready to put this bitch in her place. She glared at her. "The café belongs to the Scott brothers, _not_ you. Just because you're married to one of them and having his baby doesn't give you right to claim the café as your own."

Rachel glared right back as Andy tried to calm Haley down. Her angry tone was causing Jewel to become upset. "Haley, why don't we go and talk in your house?" he suggested, wanting to get the two away from each other. Haley happily agreed and gave Rachel one last glare before she led Andy and Jewel to her house.

Haley didn't say anything until they were sitting at her kitchen table. She gave Andy an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry about that. I just lose my temper when Rachel is around. I try to be civil for Nathan's sake, but it never works when we are alone."

Andy nodded understandingly. "I know exactly how you feel. Dan was the same way with me. He always thought that I would steal Karen away from him. It's crazy how people get jealous sometimes."

Haley gave him a smile. "I can't imagine Dan being jealous."

Andy laughed. "Believe me. He was. Even after the divorce, he didn't want me to date Karen."

"At least you didn't have Rachel _and_ her mother on your back," Haley replied with a sigh. "I don't know how many times I have to tell them that I'm not interested in Nathan. Besides, I would never do that to a married couple." She then changed the subject. "Mr. Hargrove, I suppose you want to become partners with me so we can both run the café." Andy was about to respond when she continued. "It's a nice offer, but I'm going to turn it down. I don't think that I can handle teaching and running a business at the same time. Besides, you hardly know me."

Andy nodded understandingly. "You're right. All I know is great things about you from Lucas. He says that you're an awesome teacher and that he'll miss you when Mrs. Jagielski comes back."

Haley nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to miss my students too. I almost wish that Peyton wouldn't come back just so I could keep my job."

Andy gave her a smile as he said, "Maybe a miracle will happen."

* * *

Nathan arrived at the River Court and wasn't surprised when he saw Lucas shooting baskets. Lucas glanced at him for only a moment before he turned back to the basketball court, letting Nathan know that he was still angry at him. Nathan couldn't blame him. "Can we talk?" he asked him as he walked over to the court. Lucas just ignored him. Nathan took a deep breath before speaking. "Look, I know that I've been a crappy guardian to you, ok?" Lucas suddenly stopped playing and listened. "And I'm sorry. When Keith and Mom died, I never expected that I would be the one to watch over you. After all, I was just settling down with Rachel."

"So if you didn't want me, why didn't you just say so?" Lucas snapped.

"I never said that I didn't want you," Nathan corrected him. "It's just that I didn't expect to become your guardian. But I was willing to do it because I'm your brother. And I always will be. I would never leave you out in the cold." Lucas was about to protest when Nathan continued. "I'm sorry for being more of a guardian than your brother all these years. I didn't realize that I don't have to be the parent all of the time. I should just be your older brother who you can turn to for advice." Lucas didn't argue with him on that one. "Do you think that we could start over? I wouldn't want to start a family feud with my child's godfather."

Lucas looked at Nathan surprised as he asked, "You want me to be the godfather?" He wasn't expecting that. He would have thought it would be Jake.

"You can be if you stop getting in trouble," Nathan replied. "After all, I want a good role model to be my child's godfather." Lucas was about to comment on Rachel. However, his brother knew what he was thinking and immediately stopped him. "Don't even say it."

Lucas knew that it was better to change the subject. "So what was going on with you and Ms. James in the gym today?" he asked curiously.

Nathan had a feeling that Haley was going to be brought up. He was just glad that it was with Lucas than Rachel. He knew that she would give him a hard time about it. "I was teaching Ms. James about basketball and how to get the ball into the hoop. That's all."

"Well, you must not be a good coach then," Lucas teased him. "She kept missing the basket."

Nathan laughed as another car pulled up next to his car. He gave a wide smile to Rachel as she climbed out of the vehicle. They greeted each other as she walked over to them. She gave her husband a kiss before she spoke. "I was wondering where you were. I've been trying to get in contact with you for hours. We have some unexpected company, who has some business to discuss with you. Your old friend Andy Hargrove wants to buy the café."

Nathan turned to Lucas, who was avoiding his eyes. "Gee, I wonder where he got that idea." He then turned back to his wife. "I'm surprised that you didn't bring him with you. Is he at the house by himself?"

"Actually, he's with our next door neighbor," Rachel replied as Nathan looked at her confused. "He wanted to discuss the possibility of running the café with her. I thought it was ridiculous. When I tried to express my opinion, she bit my head off."

Nathan frowned. "That doesn't sound like Haley. Of course, she hasn't been acting like herself all day. Maybe I should go and check on her."

"Why don't you let Lucas do it?" Rachel suggested. "I haven't seen you all day. Besides, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Is everything ok with the baby?" Nathan asked concerned.

Rachel didn't answer. "Can we just talk about it at home?" she asked. "I really don't want to discuss it here."

Nathan agreed before saying good-bye to Lucas. He then followed his wife back to the vehicles as Lucas called his name. He turned around and waited to hear what he had to say. "I'll promise I'll be a good role model to my niece or nephew," Lucas told him. Nathan gave him a grateful smile before he turned back to his wife.

Nathan was anxious to hear what Rachel had to say. He waited patiently until they were both in the kitchen. "Ok, what is going on?" he asked her curiously. He then noticed the familiar angry look in her eyes. He sighed. "This is about Haley again, isn't it?"

Rachel gave him a look. "Actually, this is about you and her getting a little too cozy in the gym today. And this time, I was concerned about you. I may not trust Haley, but I believe her when she said that she isn't into you. However, it's a different story with my husband."

Nathan gave her a look. "Gee, it's just like me not wanting to believe the rumors about you cheating on me and getting pregnant by your bartender." Rachel was about to protest when he continued. "Or the rumor where you don't want the baby at all and decided to abort the baby without telling me."

Rachel suddenly stopped him right there. "Where did you hear that one?"

"Does it matter? The point is that they are just rumors. So don't listen to them," Nathan replied as they heard a knock at the door. "Or you will get stressed out." He greeted Andy as Rachel just stood there lost in thought.

Just next door, Haley was starting to work on her lesson plan when she heard a knock at the front door. She got up from the couch and answered the door. She was surprised to see a furious Rachel on her front porch. She glared angrily at her as she marched into the house. "You think you are real funny, don't you Haley?" Haley didn't have a chance to respond as Rachel continued her rant. "You couldn't be satisfied with me keeping the baby. You just had to go and spread that rumor. Well, I'm not going to stand for it. Keep the relationship between you and Nathan strictly professional or I promise that you will regret it," she warned her before she stormed out of the house before Haley could say anything.

The next day, Haley was able to concentrate on her lessons better. However, she still wanted to get to the bottom of the Davis mystery. She didn't want to report Victoria to social services until she was absolutely positive. She also had a feeling that Victoria would make her life miserable if she did tell. Yet, she didn't care. Brooke didn't deserve to be abused. Nobody did.

She was suddenly distracted by Lucas when he came up to her desk. He gave her a wide smile. "Ms. James, I would like to invite you to the grand reopening of Karen's Café," he told her proudly as he handed her a flyer. "It's in a couple of weeks."

Haley smiled in return. "So you allowed Andy to buy the café, huh?" she asked him. Lucas nodded. "What about you and Nathan? Are you two ok? Or are you still planning to move out?"

"Lindsey still thinks that I should, but I don't know now," Lucas replied. "With Rachel as a mother, Nathan will need all the help he can get."

Haley couldn't argue with that. "I wish you luck then."

After school, she was getting ready to leave when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up and was surprised to see Peyton. They exchanged greetings as she walked up to her. "Where's your son?" Haley asked her, noticing that Peyton was without the baby.

"Nathan is watching him for me for a moment," Peyton told her. "He will need all the practice that he can get." Haley didn't say anything as Peyton changed the subject. "I heard that you've been struggling with the thought of leaving the school. So I thought about it and decided that you can have my job."

Haley looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Everyone loves you. So it would be a shame for you not to join the staff permanently," Peyton replied. "I've already talked to Victoria. And she agreed with me. So you'll continue your job as the English teacher. I'll become the new art teacher when I come back from maternity leave in January."

Haley was surprised, but pleased. "Peyton, I don't know what to say. And I would be happy to accept."

Peyton gave her a wide smile. "I was hoping that you would say that. So why don't we celebrate at the club tonight?"

Haley smiled in return. "That sounds nice. I'll meet you at the club in a few hours. I have some stuff to get done first." Peyton nodded as Haley gathered her things. "But first, I want to see that adorable son of yours." Peyton then told her where Nathan was before she promised to meet her there. She had to grab her camera from her car. Haley walked to the gym and watched fondly as Nathan gently rocked the baby.

Nathan gave her a smile as she quietly walked up to him. "How is the little guy?" she whispered.

Nathan showed her a sleeping Ryan. "Do you want to hold him?" he asked. Haley didn't have a chance to protest as Nathan carefully placed Ryan in her arms. She looked down at the beautiful little baby in her arms and couldn't help but smile.

"Now this is a perfect picture moment," Peyton said as she came back in. Nathan and Haley then posed as she took a few pictures. Ryan then started fussing and Haley handed him back to his mother. They then talked a little longer before Jake joined them. The two parents decided that it was time to get going. "I'll see you later tonight, Haley," Peyton reminded her before she and Jake left the gym.

"What's happening tonight?" Nathan asked Haley curiously.

"Peyton and I are going to the club to celebrate my new job," Haley told him. Nathan was about to ask when she answered for him. "I was asked if I want to become a permanent teacher here and I accepted the job."

Nathan gave her a wide smile. "Congratulations. I'm glad that you chose to stay. Where else would you learn how to shoot baskets? You kept improving every time you tried to make a basket."

Haley laughed. "Well, it helps that I had a great coach." She then looked at the time. "I wish that I could stay, but I have to go."

Nathan was disappointed. "Want to practice some more during lunch tomorrow?" he asked. Haley nodded in agreement. "Great. I'll see you tomorrow then. Have fun with Peyton tonight."

Haley gave him a smile. "I will," she replied before she took off.


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N**: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

November soon ended and it was December. As the days passed, Nathan and Haley spent more time together. They hung out together at the club. Nathan joined Haley when she took Jewel for walks. And Nathan still helped Haley with her jump shot. Once she had finally made a basket, she felt so proud that she decided to press her luck and try again. She couldn't believe it when she made a second basket in a row.

Nathan smiled proudly at her. "That's great. Soon, you'll be able to play one-on-one with me. Don't worry. I promise that I'll go easy on you during the first game."

Haley laughed as she grabbed her water bottle from the bleachers. "I really don't think that I would want to go up against you in the first place. You're too good." She needed a break so she sat down on the bleachers.

Nathan soon joined her. "Well, I'm not as good as I used to be." Haley looked at him curious. "It was my dream to be in the N.B.A., but I had back problems. So I decided not to risk it and went for a different dream instead. Even though it's not what I had originally planned, I love coaching Lucas and his friends."

Haley could see that he was serious. "Speaking of Lucas, is everything ok between you two?" she asked hesitantly. Even though the Scott brothers were right next door to her, she didn't see Lucas much outside school hours. He had seemed happier since the conversation with his brother. He hadn't walked over to her house uninvited since Thanksgiving night.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, your advice really helped. I don't know why I never thought of it before."

Haley just gave him a smile. "Well, I guess this just shows you that I'm smarter than you." Nathan tried not to laugh as she continued. "It's true. So I should come up with a birthday present for you. But I need ideas from you first. Or do you not want any presents?"

Nathan sighed. "All I want is a small dinner with my friends and family at the club. But Rachel is the one who wants to make my birthday special. I'm just turning twenty-five. It's not a big deal."

"Well, it's _your_ birthday party. You should be the one who decides what you want to do," Haley pointed out.

Nathan knew she was right. "I know. I've tried, but she doesn't like to listen sometimes. But I guess I just have to deal with it since she's pregnant. But Lucas is a different story. He doesn't have any excuses. I'm his guardian. He should listen to me. But he has a mind of his own."

Haley groaned. "Please tell me that he's still not thinking of getting emancipated from you."

Nathan sighed. "I wish I could say that he isn't, but he still hasn't given me a clear answer on that." Haley could see that he was disappointed. "I thought that after I talked to him, he would change his mind about moving out. He isn't ready to go out on his own. He doesn't act mature enough for him to have his own apartment."

Haley knew he had a point. "Well, give him time. He did say that he would wait until after the holidays to make a decision, right?" she asked. Nathan nodded. "Then you still have plenty of time for him to decide whether he wants to stay with you or move out."

"I just hope that he makes the right choice," Nathan replied before he stepped off of the bleachers and went back onto the basketball court. Haley knew that the subject was now closed. She didn't say another word about it as she followed him back onto the court.

When they were done, Nathan drove them back home. Haley was barely in the front hall when she heard a familiar ringtone coming from her cell-phone. She hurried over to her purse and grabbed her cell-phone. She put it up to her ear before she answered it. "Hello?"

_"Hey, it's Quinn. What have you been up to? I've been trying to get hold of you. I keep reaching your voicemail."_

"I'm so sorry. I've been really busy with trying to get my students ready for finals," Haley replied. "You know how students are at this time of year. They never seem to want to concentrate."

_"Speaking of that, what are your plans for Christmas? Because I was hoping that you would be willing to spend it in New York with me and David."_ Haley was confused. She would have thought that Quinn would have wanted to spend the holidays with their parents and siblings. Before she could even ask, her sister answered for her. _"We're going to spend Christmas with the family before going back to New York for New Year's Eve. We want to be there for the big party and watch the ball go down. So do you want to join us?"_

Haley was quiet for a moment. "I don't know, Quinn. I was thinking about having another quiet holiday," she confessed.

_"You're not thinking of spending the holidays with the Scotts again, are you?"_ Quinn asked. She didn't let her sister answer. _"Haley, that was a disaster. Do you really want to go through that again?"_

Haley sighed."Of course not. And I know that Christmas is when you spend it with your family and friends. But I know that I'm going to get hounded with advice to start dating again. And I'm not ready for that. I know it has been a few months since the break-up, but I need more time."

_"I know that you don't want to get hurt again, but you need to get back on the horse,"_ Quinn told her. _"Don't you remember what Mom always says?"_

Haley smiled to herself as she remembered the saying. "Love means giving chances when there are no more chances left to give."

Haley could hear how proud her sister was on the other line. _"That's right, Haley Bob. You'll find the man who is right for you. I know it. You just have to go out there and try again."_ Haley didn't answer. _"At least, think about it over the holidays."_

"I will," Haley promised before they exchanged good-byes and hung up. She then spread her things across the kitchen table and went to work, grading papers. She was working hard when she heard the doorbell ring. She pushed out her chair and got up. She walked to the front door and pulled it open. She wasn't pleased when she saw it was Rachel. However, she gave her a friendly smile as she greeted her. "Hi, what can I do for you?"

"Do you mind if I come in?" Rachel asked her. Haley shook her head and moved out of the way. She walked into the front hall as she gave Haley an envelope. Haley frowned as she tore it open. "It's an official invitation to Nathan's birthday party next week. I thought it would be better to deliver it in person."

"Thank you," Haley replied. "I can already tell you that I'll be there."

Rachel looked at her surprised. "You didn't even look at the date on the invitation."

"I don't have to. I know when it is," Haley replied. Rachel knew what was coming even before she said it. "Nathan invited me to the party the other day while we were at work. I just had to check my schedule and it turns out that I can go."

"Well, I guess I'll see you there then," Rachel said before she started to leave.

Haley suddenly spoke up. "I didn't start that rumor about your abortion," she admitted. Rachel stopped where she was and listened to what Haley had to say. "If I was going to tell anyone, it would be Nathan himself."

Rachel turned around and faced her. "So you won't say anything about our conversation at the club that day?"

Haley didn't say anything for a moment. She knew that Nathan should know the truth about Rachel. But she didn't want to cause trouble either. "No, I won't. But if Nathan asks me about it, I'm not going to lie."

Rachel nodded understandingly. "Fair enough."

Haley knew that she was hoping that Nathan wouldn't find out. She didn't want to be mean, but she was thinking the exact opposite. She knew that Rachel wouldn't tell him about her decision. She had already made that clear. And Haley had a feeling that Rachel had only told Nathan about the baby so she wouldn't be able to tell him about the abortion.

A week later, Haley was walking over to Nathan's house for his birthday party. She had had a busy day since she had been Christmas shopping all day. Even though she was exhausted, she still wanted to attend Nathan's birthday party. She didn't even have a chance to knock on the door when Lucas pulled it open. He gave her a wide smile as he greeted her. "Welcome to our lovely home, Ms. James."

Haley smiled in return. "Thank you, Lucas," she replied as she walked into the front hall. She immediately saw Peyton showing baby pictures of Ryan to Andy on the living room couch. She decided to join them. The three exchanged smiles as she entered the room. "Good evening, Haley," Andy said. "Peyton was just showing me pictures of her new baby. Have you seen them?"

Before Haley could reply, Peyton spoke up. "Actually, she hasn't seen the recent ones." She pulled out another envelope from her purse. "I've been so busy with Ryan that I hadn't had a chance to develop some of my pictures until today." She pulled out a handful of pictures and gave the first one to Haley. "That is one of my favorite pictures."

Haley looked at the picture and smiled to herself. It was the one that was taken in the gym with her holding Ryan in her arms and Nathan besides her. "Yeah, that is a great picture. Do you mind if I have a copy?"

Peyton shook her head. "No, that one is yours. I made sure that was one for me and Jake and one for each of Ryan's godparents."

Haley looked at her surprised as she asked, "You want me to be Ryan's godmother?"

Peyton nodded. "Yeah, Jake and I don't have much family or friends who we are close to. We would choose Rachel, but we're not really friends. And I didn't want to choose her just because she is Nathan's wife." Haley couldn't argue with that. "You're more of a friend to me than she is."

Haley thought for a moment before answering. "Peyton, I would be honored to be Ryan's godmother."

Peyton smiled gratefully. "Great. I'm glad to hear it. It's too bad that Jake and I didn't bring Ryan with us. But he probably would have gotten all the attention. And it is Nathan's birthday today. So we left him with his grandparents, who are probably spoiling him to death. Of course, this is their first grandchild. So I guess that I can't blame them."

"Well, my parents were the same way when they first became grandparents," Haley told her as Nathan came into the room. He quickly greeted his guests before he let Haley go on. "My mom was so excited that she kept track of the progress of my sister's pregnancy. She constantly checked on her to make sure that she was eating right and making sure that my sister wasn't stressed out. She even insisted on going to the doctor's appointments. She really wanted to make that her grandchild was going to be delivered safely."

Peyton was surprised. "Did she do that with every grandchild?"

Haley laughed. "No, my dad convinced her to calm down after that. She still checked up on my sister and sisters-in-laws, but it wasn't as obsessive as the first time."

"Thanks for the warning," Nathan said. "My dad told me that he is already hoping for a boy so he could continue the Scott name."

"What happens if it turns out to be a girl?" Andy asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she and Ryan become best friends before they start dating," Peyton replied with a smile.

Nathan gave her a look. "If I'm going to have a daughter, she's not dating until she's thirty-five."

His guests laughed as they heard the front door open again. This time, Dan and Victoria walked in. Nathan excused himself and went to greet them. Haley was right behind him. She was interested to hear what Victoria had to say this time. "I'm afraid it's just us tonight. I couldn't seem to convince Brooke to come. You know how much she doesn't like these type of things."

"She came to Thanksgiving dinner," Haley pointed out.

"True, but I made her come," Victoria replied. "I wasn't going to let her have Thanksgiving dinner alone." She then quickly changed the subject. "Now where is your lovely wife?" she asked. Nathan led her to the kitchen while Dan joined Peyton and Andy into the living room. Haley was about to go back to the living room when she saw that Charlene was coming up the sidewalk.

Haley helped her up to the front porch. Charlene was surprised, but pleased. "Thank you, Ms. James. You are most helpful." She then went past her without another word. Haley followed her back into the house.

Nathan then led Haley into the den, where Jake and a man with blonde hair were. He introduced the two strangers. "Haley, this is Clay Evans. Clay, this is Haley James, my new coworker."

Clay gave her a wide smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Haley smiled in return. "You too." She and Clay then started to get to know each other. Jake joined in when he could. Nathan left his guests as he heard his wife calling. Soon, the food was ready. The guests wandered into the dining room where the buffet was. As Haley followed Jake and Clay into the room, she suddenly noticed that Lindsey had arrived. She was now standing in line with Lucas.

Once Haley got her plate, she joined Peyton back in the living room. When everyone was done with dinner, they all returned to the dining room to sing the birthday song to Nathan. As he and Rachel passed out the dessert, Haley knew that this was her chance to confront Victoria. She quietly slipped through the crowd and made her way over to Victoria. "May I talk to you for a moment alone?" she whispered.

Victoria nodded and excused herself. She followed her out onto the front porch. "I do hope that you haven't changed your mind about the job. We were all looking forward to seeing you after the holidays."

Haley shook her head. "No, it's about Brooke." She tried to find the right words that she wanted to say. "I'm really concerned about her. She has been getting sick a lot and I want to make sure that she won't get left behind."

Victoria gave her a reassuring smile. "I understand your concern, but Brooke is fine. She just doesn't like school. So she makes the excuse that she isn't feeling well. And then when I do force her, I hear that she skips school. So you have nothing to worry about. I'm taking care of the problem."

Haley wasn't buying that lie. She wanted to scream out her theory, but she knew that she had to be careful. After all, this was her boss that she was talking to. "Really? Because I got a different impression from Brooke. She told me that she wanted protection. She didn't say why, but I think I know why she said that."

Victoria kept her cool. "Whatever you're _thinking_, you're wrong. And I don't appreciate you throwing accusations at me when you don't have any proof."

Haley's hunch was now stronger than ever. She knew that she was taking a risk saying her next words, but Victoria had to hear it. "If I find out that you are the one who is abusing Brooke, I will be pressing charges."

"If you want to keep your new job, you will keep your nose out of my business," Victoria warned her before she walked back inside. Haley then had no doubt that Victoria was abusing Brooke. She just had to prove it.

As soon as she came back into the house, Nathan pulled her aside. "Is it true about Rachel? Was she considering an abortion?" he asked her. Haley was about to reply when Nathan didn't let her. "Please tell me the truth," he begged.

Haley sighed. She didn't want Nathan to get hurt, but it was time for him to know. "Yes, she did."

Nathan couldn't believe his ears. There had to be an explanation. He angrily walked into the kitchen. Haley was right behind him, wondering what he was going to say to Rachel. He glared angrily at his wife. "So the rumors are true?" he exclaimed angrily, immediately stopping the party. The guests turned to their hosts, wondering what would happen. He didn't let Rachel explain. "You were thinking about having an abortion? How the hell could you do that? You knew how much I wanted a family."

Rachel turned red. "Nathan, do you think that we can talk about this after the party?"

Nathan knew that she was right. Luckily, their guests got the hint and started to leave. They quickly said good-bye before they headed towards the front door. Haley was right with them. She wasn't surprised to see that Lucas was also slipping out of the door.

However, Lucas went to a different person this time. "Do you mind if I stay at your house tonight?" he asked Andy. Andy nodded. Lucas smiled gratefully. "Thanks Andy. I'll come by in a few hours. I need to take Ms. James and Lindsey home first. And I also need to get some stuff from the house."

Andy nodded understandingly. "Don't forget to make sure that Nathan knows that you're going to stay over at my apartment."

Lucas rolled his eyes, but he nodded in agreement. He then started to lead Haley back to her house. It wasn't long before they were on the front porch. Haley gave Lucas a smile. "Thank you for walking me home."

"I know we're only next door, but I don't like you walking home in the dark," Lucas told her. "And I never had a chance to thank you for talking to Nathan. I know that he wouldn't have done it by himself."

Haley gave him a smile. "Well, he wanted to talk to you anyway. I just gave him a push in the right direction." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "And he is worried that you might be still thinking about moving out."

Lucas sighed. "Yeah, I know. I am still debating on whether I should or not." He then gave her a smile. "Of course, it might make my decision easier once I find out that Nathan and Rachel are separating."

Haley gave him a look. "Just because they are having one argument doesn't mean that they will separate or even divorce."

Lucas tried not to laugh. "Ms. James, they haven't been getting along since you arrived in Tree Hill. Why do you think that Rachel and her mom have been on your case?"

Haley didn't answer. She didn't want to discuss it any longer. She had a feeling that the topic would go to her and Nathan. She just gave him a smile. "Good night, Lucas," she told him as she unlocked her door. She then went inside and closed the door behind her.

After greeting Jewel, she immediately headed to get ready for bed. She didn't want to admit it, but she was glad that the party ended early. She was so tired that she instantly went to her bathroom. Once she was ready for bed, she snuggled under the covers with Jewel besides her. She immediately drifted off to sleep.

She was suddenly woken up by the sound of Jewel barking and the doorbell ringing. She looked at the time and saw that it was almost midnight. She frowned, wondering who would be knocking on her door at this hour. She hurried downstairs and over to the front door. She was surprised when she saw Brooke standing there. Her eyes were red and puffy. Haley then knew that she had been crying. "Can I stay with you tonight?" she asked.

Haley gave her a comforting smile. "Of course you can," she replied as she let her into the house. "I'm guessing that your mom doesn't know that you're here, does she?" she asked. Brooke didn't answer. Haley walked over to her purse. "Well, let me call your mom to let her know that you're alright."

Brooke immediately stopped her. "No, please don't," she begged her. "You can't."

Haley knew the reason, but she wanted to hear it from Brooke. "Why not?"

"Because I ran away from home," Brooke admitted. Haley listened to hear more. "I know it sounds crazy, but my mom isn't the nice caring person she seems to be. I can't stand living with someone who doesn't love me."

Haley was quiet for a moment. She decided that it was safe to ask her the dreaded question. "Your mom hurts you, doesn't she?" she asked. Brooke nodded sadly. Haley felt sorry for the poor girl. She embraced her in a tight hug. "Don't worry. I won't let her hurt you anymore," she promised her, not knowing how challenging it would be to keep that promise.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A/N**: My penname is now **NALEYAAF23**. And there is a poll in my profile to vote for the next Naley story. Thank you all for the awesome reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.

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**Chapter Eleven**

After a few minutes of comforting Brooke, Haley grabbed her purse again and pulled out her cell-phone. "I'm going to call social services," she told her. Brooke suddenly stopped her again. "Brooke, I have to call them and tell them that your mother has been abusing you."

"They won't care about a sixteen-year-old teenager," Brooke protested. "They care more about the little kids. Besides, I'll be out of the system in a year or two anyway. Why do you think that I haven't told anybody until now? The only two people who know about this are Mouth and Millie. I begged them not to tell anybody."

Haley sighed and decided to get more information about the history between mother and daughter. "How long has she been doing this to you?" she asked as she settled down on the couch next to Brooke.

Brooke didn't answer for a moment. "She has been doing it ever since my dad left. He left when I was just two or three. I haven't seen him since. My mother blames me for him leaving because I wasn't what he wanted, which was a son." Haley then understood why Victoria had doted on Ryan so much and why Brooke was glaring at her mother and baby that day when Peyton brought Ryan by the school. "On the nights she really beats me, I always stay home sick the next day to recover from my wounds."

Haley shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe that her boss was this cruel to her own daughter. "How have you survived all these years?" she asked in amazement. Now that Brooke had confessed about her abuse from her mother, she wanted to get as much information as she could before calling social services or the police.

Brooke sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I usually go over to Millie's house, but I knew my mother would find me there and force me to go back with her. So I decided to go to a place where I know that someone would be able to help me. I looked up your address and snuck out of the house."

Before Haley could answer, they heard a knock at the door. Haley got up from the couch and walked over to the door. She pulled it open and was surprised when she saw two officers. "May I help you, officers?" she asked.

"I'm Officer Stevens and this is Officer Jones. Ms. James, you're under arrest for assault and kidnapping," Officer Stevens said as he forced her to turn around. She tried to protest as he slapped a pair of handcuffs across her wrists and read her her rights. However, he ignored her as he brought her outside.

Haley hoped that Brooke could straighten the misunderstanding out. She didn't even pay attention to the neighbors who had gathered outside to see who had been arrested. As she was being taken to the police car, she saw Nathan and Rachel push their way to the front of the crowd.

"What the hell is going on here?" Nathan demanded as Haley was being placed in the passenger seat.

Officer Stevens didn't even let Haley explain before he shut the door. "We're just doing our job," he told him. "That's all." He didn't say any word as he got back in the driver's seat. Nathan watched helplessly as the vehicle drove away.

"Well, I always thought that Haley couldn't be trusted," Rachel said. Nathan glared at her before he headed back to the house. Rachel was right behind him. She didn't say anything else until they were back in their house. "Now that we're up, can we discuss about what happened earlier?"

Nathan scoffed at her. "What is there to discuss? You clearly have different ideas about marriage and family than I do. So it is just best for us to separate and divorce before you manipulate me or my family any further."

"So you're going to throw away three years of a perfectly good marriage just because I lied to you one time?" Rachel exclaimed angrily. Nathan didn't even want to hear it. "Ok, I admit that I was thinking about an abortion, but I didn't get one."

Nathan gave her a look. "The only fucking reason that you didn't get one was to save your own ass. You knew that if Haley told me about what you were planning to do, you were afraid that I would start questioning your honesty about other things." Rachel waited for an example. "Why the hell would you think of getting an abortion? Was it really because of me and my dreams of having a family? Or are the rumors true about you cheating on me and ending up pregnant with someone else's baby?"

Rachel quickly cut him off. "Trust me. This baby is yours. And if you don't believe me, we can always get a paternity test done to prove it. If you weren't the father, I would have aborted it right away."

Nathan could tell by her tone that she was telling the truth. He didn't know how long that would last though. "No, we don't need a paternity test. But I do need some space from you." Rachel was about to protest when Nathan didn't let her interrupt him. "I don't know if I can trust you right now." He then corrected himself. "Actually, I know that I can't. You really hurt me, Rachel. And I don't know if I can forgive you for this."

"I can't tell you how sorry I am," Rachel replied. "It just that I was hoping we would have a few more years together before we had children."

Nathan shook his head in disbelief. He had heard that excuse far too many times over the last year or so. "I'm starting to think that Lucas was right and you never wanted children in the first place," he said as he turned to his wife. "You just said that to please me, didn't you?" he demanded. Rachel didn't have a chance to respond before Nathan continued. He made her face him. He wanted her to confess the truth. "Tell me the truth, Rachel. You had no intention to get pregnant, did you?"

Rachel knew that she had no choice but to tell him the truth. "No, I didn't," she admitted. Nathan couldn't believe his ears. He was angry, hurt and disappointed. He barely listened as Rachel continued her words. "I don't want this baby either, but I'll deal with it until the baby is born. But after this, I don't want any more kids. You'll be ok with that, right? I make you happy by having our child. Then you can make me happy by supporting my decision in getting a hysterectomy."

Nathan gaped at her. He couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. He glared at her as he spoke. "Are you fucking kidding me? Do you really think that I will stick around after what you just said to me? I would love a divorce, but I guess I'll settle for that year long fucking separation thing. And since you don't want the baby, I would be happy to take him or her off your hands once it is born. Because I'm not staying with you just for our baby's sake," he told her before he headed to his bedroom and slammed the door.

The next morning, Nathan ate breakfast early and went to Haley's house to get her some clothes. He also checked on Jewel, who was happy to see him. He then drove over to the jail and bailed Haley out.

Haley was relieved to finally get out of there. She had had a rough sleepless night and now couldn't wait to get home. However, she knew that she had to talk to Victoria first. She did her best to remain calm as they left the building.

Nathan noticed the angry look on her face. He was just as angry as she was. "You know, I always thought it would be Lucas I would be bailing out of jail, not my friend and coworker. What the hell happened last night?" he demanded.

Haley was quiet for a moment. "I was arrested for assaulting Victoria and kidnapping Brooke," Haley replied. Nathan looked at her shocked, not to mention confused. "Brooke ran away from home and came to my house last night. I tried to explain that to the police, but they wouldn't listen. It took me awhile before I realized that Victoria had connections with the police. And she's convinced them that I assaulted her and kidnapped her daughter."

Nathan tried not to laugh. "Why would she do that?"

Haley let out a sigh before she spoke. "Because she is covering up the fact that she abuses Brooke."

Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You really think that our boss is so cruel that she would hurt her own daughter? That's ridiculous. I don't know what Brooke told you, but Victoria would never do that."

"Look, I know that it sounds crazy, but how else do you explain Brooke being absent from school all the time?" Haley asked as she and Nathan climbed in the vehicle and shut the car doors. "Or why I was arrested for assault and kidnapping when it was clear that Brooke ran away to my house?"

"Brooke is a troublemaker," Nathan replied as he started the car and started driving away from the police station. "She likes to skip school all the time. Besides, I've never seen her with any bruises or black eyes."

Haley couldn't believe her ears. "I didn't exactly have a chance to take documentation or take her to the hospital before I got arrested. But I'm telling you that Victoria is hurting Brooke. And I'm going to prove it."

"I really think that you're overreacting," Nathan replied. "And I'm sure your arrest was just a misunderstanding." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "It's not like with Rachel. She never wanted kids." Haley turned to him as he continued. "She doesn't even want our baby, but she is willing to go through the pregnancy for me. After the baby is born, she wants a hysterectomy." Haley didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't surprised. "Once I heard those words, I knew that our relationship was over. She moved out last night."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to hurt you," Haley replied.

Nathan gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you for being honest with me last night." He then let out a sigh. "At least someone can be."

Even though Haley was upset herself, she tried to cheer him up. "Well, maybe the divorce would be good for you two. From what I have seen, you guys haven't been doing anything but argue."

Nathan sighed. "Yeah, but I'll be a single father," he replied as they came to their street. He then groaned as he saw the familiar car in front of his house. He knew that Charlene would come by sooner or later, but he wished that it had been later. "Great. Here comes the lecture from my mother-in-law." He wasn't in the mood to deal with her right now and was ready for any excuse not to go home.

However, he saw that Charlene was impatiently waiting for him on the front porch. He knew that he had no choice but to face the music. He parked the car in the driveway as Charlene started walking over to them. "Wish me luck," Nathan told Haley before they climbed out of the vehicle.

She and Haley quickly exchanged greetings before Haley left the two alone. She didn't want Charlene to ask her questions. She just wanted to get home and take a long hot shower. She wanted to get the stench of the jail and her cellmates off of her. They hadn't been mean to her, but they had given her glares. She then wanted to take a nap. Her missed hours of sleep were catching up to her.

A few hours later, Haley felt more rested and was ready to confront Victoria. She was getting prepared to go out when she heard a knock on her door. She sighed and wondered who it could be this time. She opened the door and found Victoria. Haley couldn't believe that she would show up at her house after the stunt she had pulled. She wanted to shut the door in her face. Yet, she knew that she had to be polite. After all, she was still her boss.

"May I come in?" Victoria asked. Haley was quiet as she let her walk into the foyer. Haley closed the door behind her as Victoria spoke again. "We need to talk about what happened last night."

Haley didn't let her get another word in. She glared angrily at her. "There's nothing to talk about. You used your connections with the police station to falsely accuse me of assault and kidnapping. You may have covered up your secret this time, but I'm not going to give up. I _will_ get Brooke out of your care."

Victoria chuckled. "I would love to see you try. You may not know this, but I have this whole town wrapped around my finger. I'm not just the principal of Tree Hill High School, but I'm well-liked and well-respected in this community. Nobody will believe a newcomer who just moved to town." There was silence before she spoke again. "What did Nathan say when you told him?" Haley didn't answer. "See, that proves my point. Now I'll make you a little deal." Haley turned to her with curiosity. She knew that whatever she was going to say was going to be interesting. "You forget all about this incident. In exchange, I'll drop the charges against you."

Haley gaped at her. She couldn't believe that her boss was blackmailing her to keep her mouth shut. "And what if I can't?" she challenged her. She wasn't going to back down from this.

"I will not only fire you, but I will get a restraining order to make sure you stay away from me and my daughter," Victoria replied. "And that is just the beginning. If you don't keep your mouth shut about this, I will make your life a living hell," she warned her. Haley just glared icily at her as Victoria started to make her departure. She turned back to Haley for a final time. "It's your choice, Haley. But I recommend you not to play with fire. Or you're going to get burned." She didn't say another word before she walked out the front door.

Haley just stood there in shock for a few moments. She couldn't believe that her boss was truly a cruel evil bitch. She didn't know how Brooke was able to live with her. Yet, she couldn't think about that now. She had to figure out a way of exposing Victoria for the heartless monster that she was without losing her job. She then realized that Brooke's life was more important than her job. She knew what she had to do. She picked up her cell-phone from the counter and started dialing the number for social services.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N**: Thank you all for the reviews. And thanks to my beta: Leeese.

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**Chapter Twelve**

Nathan was busy figuring out the next basketball plays when he heard the front door open. He looked up to see Lucas. They exchanged greetings as Lucas went to the refrigerator. He grabbed a bottle of water before he spoke. "So what is going on between Mrs. Davis and Haley? There is a rumor going around saying that Ms. James got arrested. What was that all about?" Nathan was quiet at first. "Come on, Nate. You promised to tell me the story after I completed my final exams."

Nathan hadn't been surprised that rumors had started up about Haley's arrest. To respect Haley's privacy, he refused to answer questions about it. He was relieved when he found out that Haley had caught a cold. That way, she didn't have to be hounded by her students or fellow coworkers. However, her sickness was so bad that it became the flu. So she had stayed home the entire week. He had taken care of the final exams that her students had to take. He also checked up on her every day.

"There isn't anything to tell," Nathan replied. "There was just a misunderstanding between Haley and Victoria." Lucas wasn't falling for that and he gave him a look. "Look, it's really none of our business. So I want you to respect Haley's privacy and leave her alone. That goes the same for Mrs. Davis and Brooke."

Lucas was persistent. "Why the hell would Victoria think that Haley kidnapped Brooke? Haley would never do that."

Nathan sighed. He knew that his brother wouldn't let this go until he found out the true story. "Brooke ran away from home and ended up at Haley's house. She made up this crazy story that her mother was abusing her." Lucas was suddenly suspicious. "And everyone knows that Brooke is a troublemaker. I'm surprised that you haven't caught her bad habits."

Lucas gave him a look. "I wouldn't want anything to ruin my chances to go to Duke."

Nathan turned to him surprised. "You want to go to Duke?" he asked. "I thought you wanted to get married after graduation."

Lucas sighed. "I thought that I did, but I then realized that I'm not ready to settle down and get married yet. I want to set a good example for my niece or nephew. And I know that college will help me out more in figuring out what I want to do with my life other than marrying Lindsey."

"How did Lindsey take it?" Nathan asked.

Lucas made a face. "I haven't exactly told her yet. I want to wait until after the holidays to break the news to her. I don't know how she is going to take it."

"Just break it to her gently," Nathan advised him. "I'm sure she will understand."

Lucas was doubtful. He wanted to get the subject off of him. So he changed the subject. "So how long will it be before your divorce from Rachel is final?"

Nathan couldn't help but smile at his brother's eagerness. "I'm afraid that won't happen for awhile. We have to go through that year separation thing first. Then I can file for divorce. I just hope that Rachel won't cause trouble until then."

Lucas was suddenly concerned. "She wouldn't dare hurt my niece or nephew." He then frowned. "By the way, when will we know that the baby is a boy or girl?" he asked. "Because I'm dying to know."

Nathan laughed. "We will get to find out next month. Then we can get started on that nursery." They then heard a knock on the door. Nathan went to answer it and found Haley standing there. They exchanged greetings as he let her in. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm so much better," Haley replied. Nathan could tell that she was. However, he also could see that she still wasn't herself. "I hate that I was out the entire week, but I just wasn't in the mood to go." She then told them the reason that she had walked over to the house. "Listen, I have a family emergency that I have to take care of. I was wondering if you two could keep an eye on the house and Jewel for me."

"Is everything ok?" Nathan asked her concerned. Haley couldn't speak for a moment. She tried to get her words out, but the tears started to fall. Nathan shushed her as he embraced her in a tight hug. He did his best to comfort her as she tried to calm down.

Haley finally managed to get her words out. "My dad's in the hospital. He had a heart attack. And the doctors aren't sure that he's going to make it. I need to go to Wilmington right away."

Nathan nodded understandingly. "I'll drive you there," he offered. Haley was about to protest when he didn't let her continue. "Haley, it's obvious that you can't drive in the state you're in." Haley knew that he was right. He then turned to his brother. "You can handle things for a few hours, right?"

Lucas nodded. "You can count on me."

Nathan knew that he could trust his brother. He grabbed his coat and car keys before he followed Haley outside to his car. Lucas was right behind them. "I'll be back in a few hours," he told his brother. Lucas waved good-bye as Nathan drove off.

On the ride over, Nathan noticed that Haley was quiet. He couldn't blame her. She had just heard the news about the possibility that she could lose her dad. It reminded him when he had heard the news about his own mother and stepfather. However, he didn't want to think about that. He wanted to think about his son or daughter that he was going to have in a few months.

He decided to try and get Haley's mind off the terrible news. "So what are your plans for the holidays?" he asked her. "Are you going to stay in Tree Hill again? Or have you decided to visit your family?"

Haley snapped out of her daydream and turned to him. With all of the drama going on, she hadn't thought much about it. "I was planning to stay in Tree Hill, but I'm now thinking about visiting my family." Nathan nodded understandingly. "What about you? Are you still going to let Rachel and her mother spend the holidays with you?"

Nathan sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. Even though he should spend the holidays with her, he didn't want to. He would prefer it if he didn't see Rachel again until the divorce proceedings. But he knew that couldn't happen since she was pregnant. He was willing to be there for Rachel's doctor appointments, but that was it.

"I know you two just separated, but you shouldn't let that spoil the holidays," Haley pointed out. Nathan knew that she had a point. "After all, she is having your baby. You two could at least be civil until the baby is born."

"It's not going to be that easy," Nathan replied. "Charlene is pissed off at me for kicking Rachel out of the house. She is insisting that we wait until after the baby is born to file for separation. She doesn't want us to cause a scandal. I told her that I wasn't going to wait that long."

"How did your dad take it?" Haley asked him.

"Well, he took it better than Charlene. I can tell you that," Nathan replied. "He is more upset about you accusing Victoria of hurting Brooke."

Haley knew that Victoria would be brought up sooner or later. She hadn't heard anything from social services since her call. So she had no idea if Brooke had been removed out of the house or not; or if Victoria had been arrested for it. Of course, she wouldn't be surprised if Victoria had that news covered up somehow. That way, Haley would have all the bad publicity.

Haley wanted to argue with him. Instead, she gave him a look. "I thought you were supposed to be cheering me up, not making me feel worse."

Nathan realized that she was right. He was about to apologize when he realized that she was teasing him. He gave her a smile in return before he changed the subject again. "Why don't we listen to some Christmas music?" he suggested as he turned on the radio. "I'm sure that will cheer us up."

"Are you kidding? I love Christmas songs," Haley told him. She started singing along to "Twelve Days of Christmas". Nathan was enchanted as he heard her sing the words. Even though it wasn't a relaxing Christmas song, he heard her hit every note perfectly.

She then nudged Nathan to sing along. At first, he was hesitant to sing. It wasn't like he was tone deaf. He just didn't feel comfortable having Haley hear his singing voice. However, he could see that she really wanted him to join her in the sing along. So he decided to face his fears and sing with her. Even though he wasn't a good singer, he had fun doing the song with her.

Once the song was over, Nathan quickly turned the radio onto a different station. "Why did that song have to be so long?" he muttered, pretending to be annoyed.

However, Haley could see right through him. "You loved every minute of it." Nathan was about to respond when Haley didn't let him. "It's ok. I know that most people would rather listen to songs than sing them."

"That's because I'm not a good singer," Nathan replied. "Compared to you, I stink. Where did you learn to sing like that?"

Haley turned red. "According to my parents, I've always had a beautiful singing voice. My parents have a piano in their house. During Christmastime, we would always gather around it to sing Christmas songs together. And I would always have a solo to sing."

"Have you ever thought of becoming a professional singer?" Nathan asked her. "Because you're really good."

Haley laughed. "I may be really good, but I get stage fright. I don't mind singing in front of my family because I know them. Even though I have a big family, it's still a small crowd compared to concerts."

Nathan knew that she had a point. He didn't say anything more about it as they reached Wilmington. Haley then directed him to the correct hospital. He could see that Haley was now getting anxious. Nathan managed to find a parking space and barely turned off the engine when Haley started climbing out of the car.

Nathan tried to reassure her that her dad would be fine, but Haley didn't want to listen. Nathan tried a second time and Haley managed to calm down. She waited until Nathan was ready before walking into the hospital.

They went into the waiting room, where Quinn and who Nathan assumed to be Haley's mother were waiting. There were a few other people in the waiting room who Nathan knew had to be Haley's other siblings. He counted them silently in his head and noticed that one sibling was missing.

Haley ignored her siblings and immediately went over to her mother. She embraced her in a tight hug. Her mother couldn't help but notice Nathan. She gave him a warm smile. "Why, you must be Nathan Scott." Nathan nodded as they shook hands. "Haley has told me all about you. I'm Lydia, Haley's mother."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances," Nathan replied.

"How's Dad?" Haley asked anxiously as Nathan and Quinn exchanged greetings. Quinn then introduced Nathan to the rest of the clan as Haley spoke with her mother. "Is he ok?"

Lydia James gave her daughter a small smile. "He's hanging in there," she gently replied as a doctor came into the room. They turned to him and waited anxiously to hear the news. "Is my husband ok?" she asked. There was more concern in her voice than worry.

The doctor nodded. Haley let out a relieved sigh. "Your husband has had a heart attack, but we have managed to get your husband stabilized. And we believe that he will make it. However, he will have to take it easy for awhile."

Haley was trying to listen to the doctor when she noticed a familiar person walking towards them, carrying a few drinks in each hand. However, she had to do a double take to make sure that it was the person she was seeing. Sure enough, it was him. She couldn't believe that he was here. She just stood there in shock as he approached them.

"Quinn, what is Julian doing here?" she hissed to her sister as Vivian told Julian the good news. Quinn shrugged. She didn't have a clue. Haley knew that the only way to get answers was to ask the source herself. She marched over to him and pulled him away from her brothers. She dragged him out of the waiting room and waited until they arrived outside to speak to him. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I'm here to support you and your family," Julian replied. Haley couldn't believe that he was playing games right now. She gave him a look. He knew perfectly well that was not what she meant. "Oh, you mean the reason why I'm in North Carolina? I'm here on business and I thought I would stop by and see some old friends." Haley still didn't believe him. She raised her eyebrows. He finally gave in. "Ok, I'm here to ask your parents on how to get you to take me back." Haley was about to protest when he went on. "I've missed you, Haley. I haven't been able to move on from our break-up because I keep thinking of you. I realized that you're right. I've been a real asshole to you lately. And I can't tell you how sorry I am. If you take me back, I promise that I will change my ways."

Haley stopped him from going any further. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she didn't want him back. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Julian, I'm sorry that you came all the way out here, but I'm not going to take you back. I don't believe that we are right for each other. We have so many different needs and wants that it would be impossible for us to stay together. I'm sorry. I'm hoping that we can still be friends." Julian didn't answer as they heard footsteps. She knew who it was without even turning around. She had a feeling that Nathan would come and check on her sooner or later.

"Haley, your family can go and visit your dad now," Nathan told her before he and Julian made eye contact. "Hi, I'm Nathan Scott. I work with Haley at the high school."

"I'm Julian Baker," Julian replied. There was an awkward silence before Julian spoke again. "Well, I'm sure you want to see your dad now. So I'm just going to go back to my hotel and relax for awhile." Haley was relieved to hear that he wasn't staying at her parents' house. She couldn't imagine how awkward it would be if he stayed there at the same time she was.

They quickly said good-bye before Nathan and Haley headed back inside. Once Haley saw that her father was doing well, her stress level went down. Nathan was then introduced and he soon started talking to Haley's parents about his life. Haley could see that her parents really liked him. In fact, they liked him so much that Lydia invited him, Dan and Lucas to Christmas Eve dinner. Nathan happily accepted for his father and brother.

"Thank you for rescuing me from Julian earlier," Haley told Nathan as they headed to Haley's parents' house for lunch. "I can't believe that he came all this way to ask me to take him back. Isn't that crazy?"

"I think it is just as crazy as Rachel asking me to forget about the abortion and just move on with our lives," Nathan replied.

Haley groaned in frustration. "It's probably good that I'm spending the holidays with my family. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Nathan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Whenever I feel stressed out, I go to Rachel and she always finds ways to make me feel better."

Haley knew exactly what he meant. "What are you going to do now that you're separated?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll just have to find another way to relieve some of that stress." He then smiled to himself. "Of course, I'll soon be so busy with the baby to that I won't even have time to think about that."

Haley gave him a smile. "Well, I'll help you out in any way I can," she told him. "I don't know if I have told you this already, but I'm an expert on babies."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, pretending to be surprised. "Really? I never would have guessed that." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "I wasn't going to tell you this until later, but now I think is the perfect moment for it." Haley looked at him with curiosity. "If the baby turns out to be a boy, I want to name him after you." Haley looked at him confused. "I want his name to be James, in honor of my new neighbor, colleague and best friend."

Haley looked at him speechless. She never expected Nathan to do that. She looked at him skeptically as she spoke. "Nathan, I'm honored that you want to name your son after me. But are you sure you want to do this? According to the town, I'm not exactly the best role model right now. Even you said that you don't believe me about Victoria and Brooke."

Nathan knew that Haley had a point. "I know what I said. And I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly. If I want to be a good role model to my son or daughter, I should learn to listen to both sides of the story first. Then I'll make my decision on who I believe is right."

"I would hope so," Haley replied. "Because it's not fair to me that you choose to side with Victoria or Rachel just because you have known them longer. You have to learn to trust me and believe me when an accusation is thrown my way or at someone else. Otherwise, I don't think that we can be friends."

Nathan let out a sigh. "You're right. We can't. So you do think that you can forgive me for jumping to conclusions?" he asked her. Haley didn't answer right away. She then nodded in agreement. The subject was then dropped.


End file.
